An inmate at Canada’s highest-security prison reportedly enjoyed a late-night McDonald’s meal of chicken nuggets and fries, along with alcohol, after a drone delivered the contraband directly to his cell window.
The alleged delivery happened at about 3am on Thursday at the Special Handling Unit in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec. The haul reportedly contained nuggets, fries, dipping sauce and booze.
According to the union representing correctional officers, the drone flew straight to the prisoner’s window, evading the security measures intended to prevent contraband from entering the high-security institution.
Correctional staff are now warning that a future drone delivery could involve something considerably more dangerous than fast food and alcohol.
Mike Bolduc, regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO-SACC-CSN), said the inmate appeared to find the incident entertaining when guards discovered the delivery during their morning rounds.
‘The inmate found that really funny in the morning when the guards did their rounds,’ he said.
Prison staff were far less amused. Bolduc said drones were increasingly being used to smuggle contraband into Canada’s federal prisons, including mobile phones and knives.
‘We’re at the breaking point where an inmate went and delivered himself McDonald’s,’ he said.
A jailed offender reportedly enjoyed chicken nuggets and fries with alcohol after a drone delivered the illicit late-night order to his cell window at Canada’s most secure prison
The facility is intended to rank among Canada’s most secure prisons and houses some of the country’s most dangerous offenders
The union representing correctional officers says the drone reached the inmate without being intercepted
‘What’s the next thing? Is that a loaded gun? You know, it’s scaring us, it’s really scaring us.’
The Special Handling Unit is reserved for some of Canada’s most dangerous and high-risk offenders, including prisoners who require exceptionally restrictive security measures.
Notorious killers such as Clifford Olson and Allan Legere have spent time at the Quebec penitentiary, which has also housed convicted terrorists.
The apparent success of the delivery has prompted fresh questions about how contraband can reach prisoners inside a facility designed to be among the nation’s most secure.
‘It’s supposed to be the most secure jail in Canada and he’s eating McDonald’s,’ Bolduc said.
Correctional Service Canada (CSC) uses technology intended to detect unmanned aerial vehicles at its institutions. Bolduc said it was nevertheless troubling that the drone apparently completed its mission without being stopped.
He said drone operators could be probing the prison’s defenses by sending multiple aircraft to expose weaknesses in its detection systems.
‘So what happened here is that they beat the technology,’ he said, warning that drones were creating major challenges for correctional authorities.
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Mike Bolduc, regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO-SACC-CSN), warned of more dangerous deliveries and called for urgent safety measures
Conservative MP Frank Caputo, the party’s public safety critic, has also criticized the government’s response to drones allegedly delivering illegal goods to prisons
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The union has been pushing for a more physical solution, installing netting around vulnerable areas to prevent drones from reaching inmates’ windows in the first place.
Bolduc said the measure was urgently needed to prevent further deliveries, particularly if the next package contained something considerably more sinister than chicken nuggets and fries.
‘It’s not harder than that,’ he said. ‘This now has to be a cry for help saying that we need that netting as fast as possible.’
He also called the incident a wake-up call for federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, raising concerns about the government’s decision to cut $132 million from CSC’s operational budget.
Bolduc said he feared the consequences could extend beyond prison walls if more dangerous contraband made its way into inmates’ hands.
‘I’m scared for Canadians, for their security,’ he said.
Conservative MP Frank Caputo, the party’s public safety critic, has also criticized the government’s response to drones allegedly delivering illegal goods to prisons.
In a video posted on social media, Caputo questioned how such an incident could reportedly happen at a facility intended to be among Canada’s most secure.
‘What in the heck are we doing in Canada?’ he said.
CSC confirmed that the incident was under review but declined to provide further details, citing security considerations.
Spokesperson Kevin Antonucci said the introduction of contraband and unauthorized items remained an important issue that the agency continued to address.
‘CSC continues to implement a multi-layered approach that includes staff vigilance, security intelligence activities, searches, detection technologies and collaboration with police and other partners,’ he said.
The office of Public Safety Minister Anandasangaree referred inquiries to the agency’s statement.
While the reported delivery may have involved little more than nuggets, fries and alcohol, correctional officers fear the same method could be used to transport far more dangerous items into prisons.
For staff tasked with keeping some of Canada’s highest-risk offenders under tight security, the incident has become a stark warning that even a fast-food delivery can expose potentially serious vulnerabilities.