25 people behind bars, 13 of them female correctional officers, with charges of racketeering, money laundering and possession of drugs with the intent to distribute, all of which was run by the prisoners in the Baltimore City Detention Center in Maryland.
Via CBS Baltimore:
Federal agents say Tavon White is the mastermind behind one of the most elaborate schemes at the Baltimore City jail, involving drugs, money and sex. White, a four-year inmate, has been charged with attempted murder and is a member of the notorious gang, the Black Guerilla Family.
Twenty-five people, 13 of those female correctional officers, are now behind bars facing federal charges of racketeering, money laundering and possession of drugs with the intent to distribute. Investigators say the women helped White and other gang members smuggle cell phones, marijuana, prescription pills and cigarettes into the Baltimore City Detention Center.
“It’s pretty much its own city. The guards aren’t running the jail; prisoners really run the jail,” said one former inmate.
The CBS piece goes on to detail how the prisoners ran the biggest smuggling scheme in Baltimore City history:
Here’s how the operation worked according to FBI investigators: acquaintances of the inmates and officers would give the contraband to the guards, who would smuggle the items into the jail by hiding them in their shoes. The contraband would then be delivered to members of the gang, who would then sell it to other inmates.
A percentage of the money the gang made would be paid to the officers and the suppliers on the street for their services.
There were no cash transactions in this operation. The inmates paid for the drugs and cell phones using pre-paid debit cards that were also smuggled into the jail.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake calls the reports unsettling.
“It’s certainly dangerous when we think we are putting criminals behind bars to serve time, yet they’re still in business,” she said.
Former inmates claim this has been going on since at least 2006.
Here is a good question and the run around the questioner received shows there are no good answers... read "Who was in charge at the city detention center?"
