Feds: Prison Guards, Inmates And Others Ran Contraband Ring
HANOVER, Md. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say they've filed charges in Maryland against two correctional officers, six inmates and seven outsiders for allegedly conspiring to smuggle in alcohol, drugs and cell phones.
The Capital Gazette reported Wednesday that the charges involved the Jessup Correctional Institution in Hanover.
The charges are the latest in a series of arrests that have involved the state's troubled prison system. State and federal officials have been trying to crack down on what they call rampant corruption in Maryland's prisons and detention centers.
Federal officials allege that correctional officers hid items in their bodies to make it through security screenings. The items were then traded for cash, electronic payments or sex.
Robert Hur, the U.S. Attorney for Maryland, said in a statement that the conspiracy helped prisoners to orchestrate criminal enterprises on the outside by using cell phones.
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