B.C. women’s prison lockdown ends with drugs, ‘stabbing weapons’ seized

A corrections officer opens the door to a cell in the segregation unit at the Fraser Valley Institution for Women during a media tour, in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday October 26, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A two-week lockdown at a women’s prison in British Columbia has ended after officials completed a sweep of the facility for drugs, weapons and other contraband.

The Correctional Service of Canada said Wednesday that the lockdown at the Fraser Valley Institution has been lifted and the “exceptional search” of the prison is now complete.

The multi-level security institution in Abbotsford was placed under lockdown protocols on April 20, confining inmates to their cells for extended periods and barring visitors from the facility.

“During the exceptional search, contraband and unauthorized items were found,” the correctional service said in a statement.

“The contraband and unauthorized items seized included methamphetamine, shatter, heroin, drug paraphernalia and two stabbing weapons.”

Normal prison operations have now resumed and visitors are once again allowed at the facility.

The agency says it is strengthening its efforts to prevent contraband from entering all its institutions “to ensure a safe and secure environment for everyone.”

Corrections officials also regularly work with local police to investigate and arrest those who attempt to bring contraband into prisons, the statement said.

The Fraser Valley Institution was first opened as a standalone facility for female federal offenders in March 2004, when the Burnaby Correctional Centre for Women was closed.

The correctional service says the prison can accommodate about 112 inmates, including minimum-security offenders living in residential-style apartments and group housing