Prison officers in Abbotsford hospitalized after exposure to toxic fentanyl

ABBOTSFORD — The union representing federal prison guards says three of its members were rushed to hospital, including one who needed chest compressions, after being exposed to fentanyl at a British Columbia prison.

The union says it’s the latest example of an illicit drug crisis inside federal prisons, while violence increases.

A statement from the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers says the exposure happened at Pacific Institution in Abbotsford, B.C., on June 11, when five officers were conducting a routine search and a prisoner tried to destroy evidence by “dispersing” it.

The officers all required treatment, some with overdose-reversing drugs, and one needing chest compressions in the ambulance.