A supervisory drug counselor at a California prison used bags of chips, packages of cookies and coffee cans to smuggle drugs for inmates in her rehabilitation programs, federal officials alleged Tuesday.
Angela Carr worked in an inmate substance abuse program at the Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County before her arrest in August 2015.
Carr is among eight defendants who have been indicted in an alleged conspiracy to bring drugs and cell phones into the prison, according to U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy.
The items smuggled in by inmates had a prison value of $1.2 million, Duffy said.
Three arrests were made Tuesday in Lancaster, West Covina and Los Angeles. Two defendants are already in custody. Two remain at large, according to officials.
Among the defendants are inmates who were participating in Carr's substance abuse programs. One of the accused also served as a mentor to other inmates, Duffy said.
"No matter what role or part you play in a criminal smuggling conspiracy, you will be held accountable," Duffy said.
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Carr would allegedly get the drugs from three civilian women who had relationships with the inmates.
Sometimes Carr would bring the drugs into the prison inside bags of chips or cans of coffee in exchange for money, Duffy alleged. She received approximately $3,500 in return, officials claim.
The illegal drugs included marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, Xanax, Valium Norco and Soma.
FBI and the CDCR Internal Affairs employees helped in the investigation.
"It’s very rare for employees to engage in this type of behavior," a spokesperson for CDCR Internal Affairs said at the media briefing on Tuesday.
Carr has pleaded not guilty and is currently out on bail.
