Drone drug drop into prison thwarted by RIDE stop in Ontario: police

Police say a RIDE stop in an eastern Ontario town late last week led to the interception of drugs they believe were destined to be dropped into a nearby prison using a drone.

Two people from Quebec, including a 16-year-old boy, were arrested by Ontario Provincial Police as a result of the RIDE spot check conducted just after 12:15 a.m. on Friday in Hawkesbury, a town on the Ontario-Quebec border located about halfway between Ottawa and Montreal.

Police said they discovered an open bottle of alcohol inside the vehicle moments after after pulling it over.

A subsequent search of the vehicle “led to the discovery of a blacked out drone and programmable handheld radio, as well as multiple tightly wrapped packages of what appeared to be controlled substances,” OPP said in a news release Monday.

The drugs reportedly turned out to be cannabis.

Further investigation revealed the plan was for the packages of drugs to be distributed “via drone to a nearby prison,” police added.

A 26-year-old man from St-Stanislas-de-Kostka, Quebec, and a 16-year-old boy from Montreal face several drug charges including possession for the purpose of distributing.

Both were released pending court appearances scheduled for December, police said.