Mountain Institution in Agassiz has been in lockdown for more than four days as staff search for drugs alleged to have been smuggled in.

The Correctional Service Canada said last Friday that as of 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 24, the medium security federal institution was in lockdown to conduct “an exceptional search.”

“The search was ordered to ensure the safety and security of the institution, its staff and inmates,” the statement said. “Normal operations will resume as soon as it is considered safe to do so.”

Visitors planning on attending the institution were advised to contact the facility directly.

By Monday morning, the prison was still in lockdown as staff continued to look for drugs, according to assistant warden Sheila Collett.

“The search is still ongoing, and we are anticipating concluding the lockdown today or tomorrow,” she told Black Press. “As such, visits have not resumed.

“The search was initiated following an inmate being observed in a condition other than normal which led staff to believe that drugs had entered the institution.”