Three people are on trial in the death of a correctional employee who accidentally exposed himself to deadly fentanyl-laced correspondence.
(AP) – A federal prison inmate and two others were indicted Tuesday on charges of attempting to smuggle drugs into a California prison where a mail sorter recently died after handling a letter allegedly contaminated with fentanyl and other toxic substances.
According to the prosecution, the inmate of the Federal Correctional Institution in Atwater, CaliforniaJamar Jones, worked with Stephanie Ferreira, a resident of Evansville, Indiana, and Jermen Rudd III of Wentzville, Missouri, to smuggle drugs into the prison, disguising the delivery as “legitimate mail” from a law firm, investigators say.
Prison mail sorter Marc Fischer suddenly felt ill on Aug. 9, shortly after processing a letter addressed to Jones. The letter contained several pages that were allegedly “soaked,” or covered in drugs, according to an FBI assessment report.
According to the report, within five minutes, Fischer lost his balance and asked for medical help, telling a colleague, “I’m not feeling well, it’s spreading in my arm.” He was taken to hospital and died two hours later.
Fischer’s cause of death is pending and will depend on toxicology reports, the report said.
It is a widespread misconception that touching fentanyl even slightly can lead to an overdose, and research shows that the risk of a fatal overdose from accidental exposure is relatively low.
Court records did not list an attorney for Jones; he is scheduled to appear in court in Fresno next week. A phone number listed in public records for Ferreira did not have a voicemail facility. No working phone numbers for Rudd were immediately available.
Fischer’s death marks another serious incident at the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which manages 122 federal prisons and has faced numerous challenges in recent years, including widespread sexual abuse, criminal misconduct by staff, chronic understaffing, escapesand high-profile deaths has to fight.
In 2019, the Federal Bureau of Prisons began photocopying envelopes and other mail from inmates at various federal prisons across the country instead of delivering the original packages in an effort to stop the smuggling of synthetic narcotics.
A binational group of lawmakers introduced legislation in 2023 that would require the director of federal prisons to develop a strategy to intercept fentanyl and other synthetic drugs sent through the mail to federal prisons across the country. The bill has overcome obstacles in the House of Representatives.
Following the mail sorter’s death, the federal prison was criticized for its handling of incidents such as widespread sexual abuse, criminal misconduct, chronic understaffing, escapes and high-profile deaths. During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that U.S.-based inmate Jamar Jones, along with Stephanie Ferreira and Jermen Rudd, were involved in a scheme to smuggle drugs into the prison disguised as legitimate mail.
