The Manitoba Integrated Law Enforcement Team arrested 43-year-old Winnipeg man Chad Sutherland on March 27, 2026.[1] Officers had identified Sutherland as a suspect when he was working as a criminal defence lawyer in Winnipeg.[1] He was charged with conspiracy to distribute cannabis into Headingley Correctional Centre.[1] He was also charged with conspiracy to commit mischief and conspiracy to possess a restricted firearm.[2] Sutherland remains in custody.[2] The charges have not been tested in court.[2]
The year-long investigation stemmed from an incident on March 30, 2025, when correctional officers noticed a cannabis smell inside Headingley Correctional Centre.[2] After legal proceedings related to the investigation concluded earlier in the month, officers moved forward and laid the charges against him.[1] Two other Winnipeg suspects, 31-year-old Hunter Audette and 41-year-old Krystle Richard, were charged last year with two counts of conspiring to commit an indictable offence in connection with the same investigation.[1] Audette remains in custody.[1] Both of those cases remain before the courts.[1]
In April 2025, the Law Society of Manitoba revoked Sutherland’s practising certificate after he failed to comply with conditions previously imposed on him.[2] The law society later found him guilty of professional misconduct on Jan. 22 and suspended him indefinitely from practising in the province.[2]
