Pubdate: Sat, 24 Apr 2010
Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC)
Copyright: 2010 Times Colonist
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html
Website: http://www.timescolonist.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481
Author: Canwest News Service

DRUGS' VALUE HIGHER IN PRISON, OFFICIAL SAYS

The drug trade is particularly lucrative in prison.

A recent seizure of 19 grams of heroin from an inmate at Kent 
Institution in Agassiz had an estimated street value of $3,000. But 
prison officials put its "institutional" value at $10,000.

Gordon Matson, assistant warden management services, called the April 
15 incident a "major seizure" for the Correctional Service Canada facility.

"As you can imagine, the value of drugs in prison is substantially 
more than [on] the street simply due to its scarcity," wrote Matson 
in an e-mail. "With respect to value, three times the value is a 
conservative estimate."

A drug-detection dog found the heroin in an inmate's running shoes 
during a routine search of inmate property. Criminal and disciplinary 
charges are being considered but have not yet been laid.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart