5 Charged with drug smuggling conspiracy at Hamilton County Jail
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) — Hamilton County authorities said they recently busted a drug smuggling conspiracy at the Hamilton County Jail. Detectives arrested five people in the case.
The sheriff’s office said the suspects intentionally bonded a man out of jail with the intent of having him rearrested. They said once he was rearrested, he smuggled contraband into the jail. However, corrections security personnel found the contraband.
During this investigation, they seized 12 wrapped bundles of suspected blue fentanyl, six suboxone strips, 35 strips of toon paper (papers laced with THC), blue powder that’s suspected to be fentanyl, and about 20 blue fentanyl pills.
Detectives arrested the following people.
- Brian Stone
- Diamond Smith
- Kelsey Gray
- Justin Finley
- Wendy Hughes
They are being charged with conspiracy to introduce contraband into a penal facility, possession of fentanyl for resale and possession of suboxone for resale.
“We take the safety and security of our facility seriously. This incident underscores the constant threat posed by those seeking to undermine our efforts to maintain a secure environment. I am grateful for the collaborative efforts of our Criminal Investigations and Corrections Services personnel to successfully disrupt this smuggling operation. Their unwavering commitment to upholding the integrity of the facility has undoubtedly averted potential risks and safeguarded the well-being of inmates and staff alike,” said Sheriff Austin Garrett.
This was a joint investigation between the HCSO Criminal Investigative Services and the Hamilton County Corrections Services.
