Almost a century ago, a pigeon fancier approached federal customs officials with a somewhat odd problem.
A pigeon he had recently sold to a buyer in Mexico returned to his home in Texas with two aluminum capsules filled with cocaine strapped to his legs.
After a brief investigation, the officers announced their conclusion.
“CARPET PIGEONS SMUGGLING DRUGS,” blared a newspaper headline on February 2, 1930.
Drug-smuggling pigeons have persisted in the decades since, roving from North America to Europe and Asia.
Birds are caught with pills or powder stuffed into mini-backpacks, tiny pouches or ziplock bags – sometimes unsuccessfully because they can’t peel off the ground with all the weight.
Last week, for the first time in years, one was caught in B.C
A newspaper article warning of pigeons carrying drugs across the US-Mexico border appears in a newspaper on February 2, 1930. (TimesMachine/The New York Times)
“It’s kind of a curve ball,” said John Randall, Pacific regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers.
Officers had to pin him down
Randall said it was a routine day after the holidays at the Pacific Institute in Abbotsford, British Columbia, on Dec. 29.
The officers were standing in one of the prison wards’ fenced courtyards, which inmates regularly use to hang out, play or just get some fresh air.
Then the officers noticed something strange: a gray bird with a small package on its back.
“From what I understand, it was strapped to him in a similar way as a small backpack,” Randle said.
The officers moved in.
“They had to corner him,” Randle said. “You can imagine what that would look like trying to catch a pigeon.”
The Pacific Institute Correctional Facility is pictured in Abbotsford, British Columbia, on Thursday. The multi-storey complex has a capacity for about 500 prisoners. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
After a “long period of time,” officers detained the bird, removed its cargo and released it.
Randle said the package contained about 30 grams of crystal meth, which he described as a “pretty substantial” amount of the intensely addictive stimulant.
“It’s definitely scary that methamphetamine was found on the bird, because that creates a lot of problems,” he added.
Corrections Canada confirmed in an email that it is investigating, but did not provide further details.
Drones are usually the problem
In recent years, prison officials have increasingly been on the lookout for drones dropping contraband into prisons. Last month, a drone discharged a firearm at the Mission Institution.
After the drone crackdown, Randall said smugglers may revert to “old school” methods such as pigeons or “throw” — where someone from the outside throws a package over the fence.
“We’ve focused so much on banning drones … now we have to look again at pigeons, I guess,” said Randall, who has not heard of another live pigeon incident in British Columbia in his 13 years of experience.
“It’s a bit of a reality check for us that the creativity that people will use to try to smuggle drugs and other contraband into the institution is multifaceted.”
Carrier pigeons have been used to carry messages since the Roman Empire, especially prized during the First and Second World Wars for their ability to travel long distances to return to their home lofts with key messages.
A bird flies near a tower at the Pacific Institute Correctional Facility in Abbotsford, British Columbia, on Jan. 5. In recent years, correctional officers have increasingly been on the lookout for drones dropping contraband into correctional facilities. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
One expert said there are two plausible ways to use a pigeon to deliver drugs. First, someone can throw the loaded pigeon over the prison fence.
Second, a prisoner can spend months training the bird inside to recognize the prison as its home. Someone would take the bird outside, secure its cargo, and release it to return “home” to the prison.
“Like The Shawshank Redemption where he had a baby crow – you can do that with a pigeon. Then, yes, the pigeon would have come back,” said Givo Hasko, director of the Vancouver Bird and Fancy Pigeon Association.
“In a way, it’s sad that when pigeons were once used to save lives, they are now being used for smuggling,” he added. “But I hope they understood.”
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