A Corrections officer was arrested last evening, Oct. 25, in Dartmouth as part of an ongoing drug investigation.
Police arrested the Corrections officer at 6:35 p.m. as he was about to enter the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Burnside. The man was found to be in possession of a quantity of tobacco, marijuana, Hydromorph, drug paraphernalia and cash. Officers will also be executing a search warrant of his vehicle which was seized at the scene.
Correctional Services staff took part in the investigation and the employee has been removed from the workplace pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
"I am very concerned about these allegations. I want to assure Nova Scotians that we take the safety and security of our correctional facilities very seriously," said Justice Minister Ross Landry.
The internal investigation will help the province decide what action to take in this particular case, and whether changes are needed at the facility. It is not possible at this point to say how long that investigation will take or what the outcome might be.
"While these allegations are disturbing, it's important to remember that our corrections officers do difficult work with offenders every day. They have a tough job, and I have confidence in their abilities and their professionalism," said Landry.
"We will get to the bottom of this incident as soon as we can, and make whatever changes are necessary."
The 49-year-old Bedford man is scheduled to appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court today to face two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
While the investigation is ongoing, investigators allege the drugs were destined for transportation into the corrections system.
