Toronto East correctional officer charged with smuggling drugs into jail

A correctional officer at the Toronto East Detention Centre has been charged with smuggling potentially lethal drugs into the Scarborough jail, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

The rookie jail guard, Dylan Pinnavaria, has also been suspended with pay as an internal investigation unfolds.

The sources, who CBC Toronto is not identifying as they are not authorized to speak publicly about the case, say Pinnavaria was arrested after the jail's surveillance cameras recorded him carrying a package through the medium security facility and allegedly entering an inmate's cell. 

Jail staff immediately seized the package and launched an investigation. 

The seizure then prompted staff to search Pinnavaria's vehicle, which was parked at the jail. The sources say the search uncovered cannabis, heroin and ceramic blades. Police were notified and Pinnavaria was arrested shortly after. He's facing weapons, drug trafficking and breach-of-trust charges.

Toronto police say Pinnavaria, 24, was charged on Sept. 7 and is set to appear in court Oct.19, though they would not confirm that he is a correctional officer. A spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing.

Don't rush to judgment, defence lawyer warns

Criminal defence lawyer Jag Virk, who is representing the accused, said he will be "vigorously" defending Pinnavaria against the allegations.  

Virk said his client maintains his innocence and that "nobody should be rushing to judgment before all the evidence is disclosed and tested in court."

While the sources who spoke to CBC News said the arrest appears to be an isolated incident, the situation is raising concerns among those who advocate for incarcerated people suffering from addictions. 

Richard Miller, the founder of Keep6ix, a non-profit organization that assists marginalized youth navigating the justice system, said he was informed of the incident by inmates at the jail on Eglinton Avenue East in Scarborough.

"One of the issues we're hearing about is safety when it comes to incarcerated individuals," he said.

Miller added that substance use has been a longstanding problem within Ontario jails. According to the Office of the Chief Coroner, there have been 80 drug toxicity deaths in Ontario corrections facilities from 2012 to 2021.

Miller said he finds this recent incident very concerning.

"It's one of the issues we have to deal with because we have individuals that are suffering from substance abuse," he said.

Miller says organizations like Keep6ix and other community groups try their best to provide support and information to incarcerated individuals living with addiction, but he wants to see more action taken by the province.

"We need to stop and look at the overall picture and how it affects us as taxpayers," he said.

Province says it's working to enhance screening

In an emailed statement, the Ministry of the Solicitor General said it continues to make progress in the fight against contraband. The ministry also said it will make regulatory changes by the end of this year to authorize enhanced searching and screening of people, including staff and visitors, entering secure areas of correctional facilities. 

The ministry said it is aware a staff member from the Toronto East Detention Centre is facing criminal charges, but said it does not address the details of individual cases before the courts.

"As public servants, correctional officers are required to conduct themselves in a responsible and law abiding manner that creates and maintains respect for the government of Ontario and renders them worthy of the public's trust," the ministry's statement said.

"If an internal investigation finds misconduct to have occurred, appropriate actions are taken on a case-by-case basis in accordance with collective agreements and government policies."

The ministry also said it recognizes many inmates are dealing with complex health issues, and said staff are trained to provide emergency medical care, including administering naloxone, a drug used to reverse overdoses that is readily available throughout facilities. 

"Health-care professionals work with inmates to provide access to opioid substitution therapies, such as suboxone and methadone to mitigate risks associated with opioid-use disorder," the statement said.

The ministry did not answer questions about the number of correctional staff who have been reprimanded or charged with drug offences related to their work in jails.  

'It's not entirely surprising,' assistant professor says

Jessica Evans, an assistant professor with the sociology department at Toronto Metropolitan University, says inmates in various facilities have told her during research interviews that contraband is getting into jails through staff. She says they've also told her outside individuals use drones to drop packages into exercise yards.  

Recreational and illegal drugs can be worth as much as 10 times more in jails than on the outside.

The sources told CBC News the incident allegedly involving a staff member at Toronto East is a rare occurrence. But Evans said drugs finding their way into jails isn't new.

"My initial thought is that it's not entirely surprising," she said.

"These things are going to get inside no matter what. My concern is more making sure that folks inside have access to the resources necessary to keep them safe." 

Evans said there needs to be better access to substance use counselling and harm reduction services in these facilities and added that many provincial programs were scaled back or cancelled during the pandemic.

"When I was doing interviews with folks who have been inside during the pandemic, a lot of them struggled to maintain their sobriety, given there was an influx of substances but the supports they relied on disappeared," she said.

Evans said she's been told that if there's a market for something inside correctional facilities, it will usually find its way inside. She said in many cases people develop substance use issues after entering a correctional facility.

"If we don't address the issues on the inside, the majority of folks will be outside again," she warned.

"There's a massive substance use crisis in the community and we won't address that if we don't look at how a significant portion of the population are involved in that."