Officials seize drugs, tattoo equipment during 10-day lockdown at B.C. prison

The Matsqui Institution, a medium-security federal men's prison, is seen in Abbotsford, B.C., on Thursday October 26, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Officials say a 10-day lockdown at a medium-security prison in Abbotsford, B.C., has ended after staff concluded an “exceptional search” of the facility.

The Correctional Service of Canada says staff at Matsqui Institution seized contraband and other unauthorized items during the search, including drug paraphernalia, unidentified pills, tattoo paraphernalia and “several homemade weapons.”

The prison was ordered into lockdown on April 14, allowing officials to conduct the search “to ensure the safety and security of the institution, its staff, and inmates,” the correctional service said in a statement.

All visits to the facility were suspended during the lockdown period, which ended Thursday, authorities said in a written update.

“The Correctional Service of Canada is strengthening measures to prevent the entry of contraband into its institutions in order to ensure a safe and secure environment for everyone,” the correctional service said.

The statement noted that prison staff work with outside police agencies to “take action against those who attempt to have contraband brought into correctional institutions.”

The Correctional Service of Canada describes Matsqui as “the most secure medium-security institution in the (Pacific) region.”

The facility opened in 1966, initially serving as a drug treatment facility for federal inmates until 1981 when it was designated as a medium-security prison. It has the capacity to house 446 inmates.