Sayre, OK – Beckham County Sheriff Derek Manning says investigators are looking into an incident in which an inmate allegedly smuggled contraband into the Beckham County Jail in an attempt to sell it to other inmates.
According to Manning, jail staff received information that contraband may have been brought into the facility by a Department of Corrections inmate who had been transferred to the county jail for a court appearance.
Manning said inmates who know they are being transferred sometimes prepare in advance to attempt to bring illegal items into the jail.
In this case, the inmate allegedly concealed the contraband inside his body before arriving at the facility.
After receiving the report, jail staff immediately locked down the area and began searching the inmate’s cell. Deputies were able to locate some of the contraband and later determined where additional items had been hidden.
Manning said the material appeared to be tobacco that may have been saturated with drugs, possibly K2, a synthetic substance often used in jails and prisons.
“We think it was drug-saturated, probably tobacco is what it appeared to be,” Manning said. “We suspect it was K2, but we’re not sure.”
Authorities are sending the substance to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation laboratory for testing to determine its chemical makeup. Manning noted that K2 is a synthetic drug that can sometimes fall outside scheduled drug classifications, even though it can still have dangerous effects.
Manning said the investigation is ongoing and one deputy has been assigned to the case.
The sheriff said inmates typically attempt to smuggle contraband into jail facilities for financial gain.
“They bring it in to sell to other inmates,” Manning said.
Manning added that the incident has prompted the sheriff’s office to review and adjust its intake protocols for inmates arriving from DOC transfers to help prevent similar situations in the future.
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