Last fall, an inmate at the Saguaro Correctional Center in Hawaii passed away due to a meth overdose.
After allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into an Arizona prison, where over 1,000 inmates from Hawaii are incarcerated, a prison employee was arrested and around 2 pounds of methamphetamine were confiscated from her residence.
At her arraignment in Pinal County Superior Court, Patricia Fay West, aged 56, entered a plea of not guilty to six felony charges. Among these charges, three carry the possibility of a prison sentence ranging from five to ten years each.
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office filed a court document stating that West got arrested on June 20. Apparently, she tried to enter the privately run Saguaro Correctional Center located in Eloy, Arizona, with over 6 ounces of meth stashed in her bra.
According to the sheriff’s filing, West’s alleged involvement in smuggling activities could make her a flight risk. The document suggests that her association with prison gangs in this profitable operation could provide her with enough funds to escape if she is released.
Last fall, a prisoner in Hawaii was discovered dead in his cell at Saguaro, and it was later revealed that he had methamphetamine in his system. Despite this, in December of last year, officials from the Hawaii prison stated that no Saguaro personnel had been fired, arrested, or charged with smuggling contraband.
At present, Saguaro houses over 1,000 male inmates from Hawaii as there is a lack of space for them in the state-run correctional facilities.
CoreCivic, the private prison company that operates Saguaro, has confirmed that one of its employees was arrested on a drug-related charge before entering the facility.
According to CoreCivic’s public affairs manager, Brian Todd, preventing the introduction of contraband in correctional facilities is a challenging task that requires continuous cooperation on a national level.
According to the statement, CoreCivic takes a stern stance on contraband entering their facilities. They collaborate with state and local law enforcement officials to prevent, detect, and eliminate the introduction of contraband into their facilities. The company has a zero-tolerance policy for such illegal activities.
Todd has not yet provided any further information regarding West’s current employment status with the company or the nature of her job responsibilities, despite being asked to do so.
As per the sheriff’s affidavit, West identified herself as a meth user and acknowledged that she had drugs with her while entering the prison premises to report to work on June 20. She even confessed to a detective from the Pinal County Narcotics Task Force that she had more of the substance at her home.
Upon searching her residence in Eloy, authorities discovered additional packages of methamphetamine wrapped in electrical tape. The search yielded results in both the bathroom and kitchen, with the latter containing the drug hidden within burritos. The affidavit stated the presence of more methamphetamine in the kitchen.
According to the probable cause statement provided by the sheriff, the drugs had a total estimated weight of 2 pounds.
The court charged West with multiple drug-related offenses, including two counts of possessing a dangerous drug with the intent to sell, one count of promoting prison contraband, one charge of simply possessing a dangerous drug, and two additional counts of possessing drug paraphernalia.
On Friday, she was detained at the Pinal County Adult Detention Center for a bail amount of $27,500.