Correctional officer intercepts fentanyl mailed to Edmonton prison inmate

The Correctional Service of Canada says an officer intercepted a package of fentanyl that was mailed to an inmate at a federal maximum security prison in Alberta.

The deadly drug was found Wednesday on paper that was in a package sent to the Edmonton Institution.

The total estimated street value of the seizedcontraband within the package was$13,000, officials with the Correctional Service of Canada said in a statement.

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Assistant Warden Matt James saidthe fentanyl posed a threat to the health of inmates, staff and visitors inside the prison.

He says inmates have overdosed on fentanyl in the past at other correctional facilities.

James says the selling and using of drugs inside prisons can also spark violence among inmates. Police are investigating to determine who mailed the drugs.

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