Police Say Prison Worker Tried To Bring Meth Into Arizona Facility That Houses Hawaii Inmates
A Hawaii inmate died of a meth overdose at the Saguaro Correctional Center last fall.
Authorities arrested a prison employee and seized an estimated 2 pounds of methamphetamine from her home after she allegedly tried to smuggle drugs into an Arizona prison where more than 1,000 Hawaii inmates are being held.
Patricia Fay West, 56, pleaded not guilty Friday at her arraignment in Pinal County Superior Court to six felony charges in the case, including three that in prison.
According to a court document filed by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, West was arrested on June 20 after she attempted to enter the privately run Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona, with more than 6 ounces of meth concealed in her bra.
The sheriff’s filing suggested West is a flight risk, alleging her smuggling activity is lucrative and “requires association with prison gangs.” It would provide her with enough money to enable her to flee if she is released, according to the document.
A Hawaii prisoner was found dead in his cell at Saguaro last fall with methamphetamine in his system, but Hawaii prison officials said in December that no Saguaro staff members had been terminated, arrested or charged with smuggling contraband last year.
Hawaii currently holds more than 1,000 male prison inmates at Saguaro because there is no room for them in state-run facilities here.
Saguaro is operated by the private prison company CoreCivic, which confirmed in a written statement that one of its employees at the prison was arrested on a drug-related charge before entering the facility.
Brian Todd, public affairs manager for CoreCivic, said in the statement that “the introduction of contraband in correctional settings is a nationwide challenge that requires close and constant collaboration to prevent.”
“CoreCivic has a zero-tolerance policy for the introduction of contraband into our facilities,” he wrote. “We work closely with both state and local law enforcement officials on investigative and intervention efforts to prevent, detect and remove the introduction of contraband into the facility.”
Todd did not respond to a request for additional information about whether West is still employed by the company, or what her job entails.
According to the sheriff’s affidavit, West self-identified as a meth user, and admitted she was carrying drugs when she entered the prison grounds to go to work on June 20. She also told a detective with the Pinal County Narcotics Task Force she had more of the drug at her home.
A search of her Eloy home found more methamphetamine packaged with electrical tape in a bathroom and in the kitchen. “There was additional meth located in the kitchen and concealed within burritos,” according to the affidavit.
The total estimated weight of the drugs was 2 pounds, according to the sheriff’s probable cause statement.
West was indicted on two counts of possession of a dangerous drug for sale, one count of promotion of prison contraband, one charge of possession of a dangerous drug and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
She was being held Friday at the Pinal County Adult Detention Center in lieu of $27,500 bail.
