UPDATE: Additional Arrests in Prison Drug Trafficking Case

Grande Prairie… Three people have been arrested by Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) for their alleged roles in smuggling drugs into the Peace River Correctional Centre (PRCC).

The ALERT Grande Prairie investigation dates back to March 2014 when a correctional peace officer was charged along with two people for attempting to smuggle marihuana, oxycodone pills, and methamphetamine into the prison.

The ALERT investigation uncovered additional information to suggest other people were involved in the importation conspiracy. William Blackwood, 38, a former inmate at PRCC, was arrested on March 17, 2015 along with co-accused Farrah Hachey, 38, and Shauna Cunningham, 34.

ALERT alleges that the conspiracy included a corrections officer, an inmate, and people on the outside, to facilitate the distribution of drugs inside the prison walls. Blackwood, Hachey, and Cunningham are facing charges of conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine and marihuana.

Thomas Black, a PRCC correctional peace officer, was arrested in March 2014 and charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking (x 3) and possession of proceeds of crime.

ORIGINIAL NEWS RELEASE: http://bit.ly/2014Mar31

ALERT Grande Prairie received assistance from the Peace Regional RCMP and Peace River Correctional Centre in this investigation.

ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime. Members of Alberta Sheriffs, Calgary Police Service, Edmonton Police Service, Lethbridge Regional Police Service, Medicine Hat Police Service, and RCMP work in ALERT.

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