BEAUMONT, Texas — Law enforcement officials are revealing more details on how a former Jefferson County corrections officer was arrested for smuggling drugs into the Jefferson County Correctional Facility.
Aliea Hemphill was arrested on Dec. 9, 2023 after the facility noticed there was a sudden influx of controlled substances being used by inmates, according to Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens.
"It makes sense to us because we start seeing an influx of substances being brought into our facility in the past three or four months," said Stephens previously told 12News.
Officials say people will soak a piece of paper with narcotics and walk into the jail, which is putting both corrections officers and inmates in danger.
Similar to an airport, protocols and technology make it especially difficult for anyone to sneak in contraband.
"Before, we didn't have anything. It was just 'hey. go inside the jail. hope you're not taking anything inside the jail,'" said Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy, Donta Miller.
Laboratory Director Emily Esquivel says inmates used to get drugs through the mail. But thanks to Sheriff Stephens, that's a thing of the past.
"All mail is electronically scanned so they don't actually get the physical paper, but an electronic picture of their mail," Esquivel said.
That's why Esquivel says Hemphill needed a new way to smuggle drugs into inmates.
"They've moved on to notebook paper because it's something any jail staff could have on hand and that they could easily bring into the jail facility," Esquivel said.
These pieces of paper are soaked in dissolvable narcotics, hiding in plain sight,
"Pretty much any drug that would be dissolvable, but what we've seen is synthetic cannabinoids," Esquivel said. "Dissolve the substance in a liquid. Spray it. Let it dry and then you bring in a notebook paper that nobody is going to look at."
While an ever-evolving digital world is giving officers and inmates far less options to smuggle contraband, Esquivel says criminals will always try to find a way.
"You would never have thought paper would be a problem. They find ways to do things and get around the system," Esquivel said.
Hemphill had been smuggling K2, a synthetic marijuana drug, among others, according to Stephens.
Hemphill had been working at the corrections facility since June 2023. Stephens says any corrections officer can end up on the wrong side of the law.
"These guys and girls sit in jail and they have all day to pick up on vulnerabilities of people who work there," said Stephens. "It's a reflection of society. You always have that element of people that can easily be bought off,"
Stephens says it's her duty to protect the inmates and her employees.
"I take it personal. You put them in a dangerous situation," she said.
A compromised employee could affect the community's trust in the corrections system and it opens a door for bigger problems, Stephens told 12News.
"If you're smuggling drugs in, then you could be compromised to smuggle weapons in. I take that very seriously. And we're going to prosecute to the full measure of the law anybody that we catch pretending to be a good guy, and in fact, you're a bad guy," Stephens said.
Hemphill is being charged with smuggling a controlled substance in a correctional facility.
"It's always hard to figure out who's doing it, but you start looking at patterns," Stephens said.
Hemphill made bail and is currently out on a $20,000 bond, according to Stephens.
The investigation is still ongoing.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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