Charges laid in investigation into drone deliveries at Drumheller Institution

Sign outside the Drumheller Institution.

A 35-year-old Red Deer woman is facing a number of charges after RCMP say she was behind a scheme to use drones to deliver drugs to inmates at an Alberta prison.

RCMP say the charges come after a year-long drug trafficking investigation at the Drumheller Institution, where a drone was being used to drop packages inside its walls.

Authorities were first notified about the incidents in January 2023 and they launched an investigation with multiple agencies assisting in the effort.

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On Dec. 1, search warrants were executed at a home in Calgary and another in Red Deer.

During the investigation, police found a drone, cell phones, drug paraphernalia as well as quantities of methamphetamine, GHB, psilocybin and MDMA.

Jessica Lavallee, 35, of Red Deer was arrested and is charged with:

• Possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking;
• Possession of MDMA for the purpose of trafficking;
• Possession of GHB for the purpose of trafficking;
• Possession of psilocybin for the purpose of trafficking; and
• Possession of proceeds of crime.

Lavallee was released on an undertaking and is expected to appear in the Alberta Court of Justice in Drumheller on May 17.

The investigation is ongoing and more charges are pending.