An illegal $45,000 package fell from the sky…into his backyard

Almost a kilogram of cannabis fell in the backyard of a private residence in northern Montreal.

A resident of northern Montreal had the surprise of his life when he discovered, hanging from his clothesline, a package containing nearly a kilogram of cannabis and cell phones, among others.

Merchandise found in Michel's (name changed for safety) backyard would have fetched approximately $45,000 on the black market had it made it inside the facility. Montreal detention, also known as Bordeaux prison, where the delivery was to take place.

I live more than four kilometers from the prison. The whole family is still amazed to have found this package which clearly fell accidentally from a drone. It was at least seven meters long and very well sealed, the man said. After this discovery, he immediately called the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) to get rid of the package as soon as possible.

“The odds of this package falling from the sky at my house were infinitesimal. Personally, I would have preferred to win an amount with Loto-Québec! »

— Michel, resident who received a package from the sky from organized crime

According to our police sources, the SPVM discovered inside the coiled package nearly one kilogram of cannabis, hashish, tobacco, a home-made knife and miniature cell phones with SIM cards giving access to the LTE network.

There is at least one drone delivery that occurs over the walls of Bordeaux prison every day, according to the union of correctional officers.

At first glance, it is an air delivery that had to be done precisely at the window of a cell. The serpentine shape allows the inmate to slide all the contents inside the walls, between the very narrow bars of the prison, explained the president of the Syndicat des agents de la paix en services correctionnels du Québec, Mathieu Lavoie.

“Considering that cannabis alone sells for five times as much on the market as cannabis. inside the walls than on the street, a package worth over $45,000 was lost to organized crime. There is someone, somewhere, who has just fallen heavily into debt with a criminal organization, because he could not complete the delivery as planned. »

— Mathieu Lavoie, President of the Union of Peace Officers in Correctional Services of Quebec

The national president of the Syndicat des agents de la paix en services correctionnels du Québec, Mathieu Lavoie, considers that drones have become a scourge.

Cannabis on the prison black market: approximately 50 $/gram ($10/gram on the street)

Cellphone with SIM card: approximately 1000 $ each ($200 in store)

Source : Union of Peace Officers in Correctional Services of Quebec

According to an SPVM major crimes investigator who is not authorized to comment on the event, criminal bikers currently control the very lucrative black market inside the walls of provincial prisons in Quebec.

First, not everyone can deliver narcotics inside the walls. It is a market very controlled by territory, in the same way that the City of Montreal can be divided into territories to sell drugs. There are people who have paid dearly physically for trying to circumvent outlaw bikers, our law enforcement source said.

According to our information, the SPVM receives more than 300 complaints a year from residents complaining about the presence and noise produced by drones. These complaints also sometimes concern suspicious packages found on the land of citizens living near prisons.

“To be able to control and fuel the black market of drone delivery to prisons, you have to have deep pockets. These are machines that are expensive to buy and replace for everyone, because they have to perform. We're not talking about the basic model on sale at Best Buy.

— An SPVM Major Crimes Investigator

The drones used have a range of up to five kilometers from the pilot making the delivery. They have also been known to be accurate enough to hit a target as small as a quarter. The problem is high winds that cause packages to stall in the air, drone crashes and all kinds of incidents that can happen before the destination, the policeman added.

The package recovered by the SPVM has been seized for analysis. All of its content will soon be destroyed in an incinerator.