$350,000 of contraband was set to be smuggled into Midlands prison, SC officials say
Multiple people are facing charges after attempting to smuggle drugs and other contraband into a Midlands prison, the South Carolina Department of Corrections said Thursday.
Marijuana, cell phones, tobacco, rolling papers, phone chargers and lighters valued at a combined $350,000 were set to be brought into Lee Correctional Institution, the Department of Corrections said in a news release.
The smuggling operation involved an inmate, a maintenance worker at the prison, and a woman who lives in the area, according to the release. It was uncovered and eventually stopped following an investigation by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Department and Department of Corrections Police Services.
Jessica Nichole Colclough Frasier, 31, and Michael Lynn Mattox, 55, brought the contraband to an inmate at the prison five times from Nov. 1 to Dec. 16, 2019, the Department of Corrections said.
During a traffic stop, Fraiser was found in possession of the contraband, and a search of her Wedgefield home uncovered more, according to the release.
Fraiser was charged with two counts of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, two counts of criminal conspiracy, and providing contraband to an inmate, the Department of Corrections said.
Mattox was charged with providing contraband to an inmate, and two counts of criminal conspiracy, according to the release. The maintenance worker at Lee Correctional Institution was fired after his arrest, the Department of Corrections said.
The male inmate, who has not been publicly identified, has not been charged yet but they are pending, according to the release.
Lee Correctional Institution is a men’s-only, high-security prison, designed to “primarily to house violent offenders with longer sentences, and inmates who exhibit behavioral problems,” according to the Department of Corrections.
The prison is about 50 miles east of Columbia.
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