Bank robber Stephen Reid has had his day parole revoked after he was found with thousands of contraband cigarettes during a traffic stop.

Reid, 60, was ordered back to jail on Nov. 6, 2010 but the National Parole Board provided no details as to why. His wife, Susan Musgrave, said at the time she thought her husband was arrested for showing up late for a urine test.

According to a written decision by the parole board, Reid was stopped on Oct. 26, 2010 for driving without insurance. Police found 18 clear plastic bags containing 3,600 contraband cigarettes from the U.S.

He also had a pill bottle containing Valium, the report said. Reid later admitted to parole officials that he was abusing prescription drugs and heroin. He also admitted to using another person's urine during a drug test.

"You said you had been a drug addict for 41 years and did not know what to do to stop," the parole board said.

Reid was released on day parole in January 2008 after serving almost half of his 18-year prison sentence for his part in a bank robbery in Victoria.

He was given strict conditions, including that he spend five nights a week in a halfway house, abstain from drugs and alcohol, stay away from anyone involved in criminal activity or substance abuse, and participate in substance-abuse programs and counselling.

The report from the parole board said Reid and Musgrave had travelled to Toronto to meet a foreign film production company that was considering making a documentary on Reid's life of crime. Reid told the parole board he agreed to this because the documentary would likely not be shown in Canada and so he thought it would not affect his victims.

Reid was a member of the Stopwatch Gang, which carried out about 100 bank robberies in the 1970s and 1980s. The gang, which netted an estimated $15 million, used stopwatches to ensure every heist was complete in under two minutes.

One of their first scores was in 1974, when they made off from Ottawa airport with $750,000 worth of gold bullion that had been headed for the Royal Canadian Mint.

After a robbery in Victoria in 1999, Reid was charged with a host of charges, including attempted murder. He walked into the Royal Bank on Cook Street carrying a sawn-off shotgun. He stole $92,924 and escaped in a getaway car.

The vehicle sped through Beacon Hill Park and James Bay, with Reid hanging out of the passenger window, shooting at police officers and an innocent bystander.

Musgrave and Reid were married in 1986 while he was in prison. When Reid was on day parole, the couple split their time between homes in North Saanich and Haida Gwaii.

Reid will have his parole reviewed after one year.

kderosa@timescolonist.com