Corrections officer and 2 inmates accused of smuggling drugs into Massachusetts jail
DEDHAM - A former corrections officer and two inmates have been charged with smuggling drugs into the Norfolk County Correctional Center in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Smuggled in Wendy's bag
Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott said the drug involved was Suboxone, one of the medications used to treat opioid addiction. Investigators allegedly found 238 strips of Suboxone hidden in two pomade containers in the inmates' cells. The drugs are worth about $47,600.
The correction officer, Jean Guirand of Saugus, allegedly hid the strips inside a Wendy's fast food bag to smuggle them into the jail. He then allegedly hid the Wendy's bag between trash bags before giving them to inmate Dante Clarke, of Dorchester. Investigators said Guirand obtained the drugs from two women who were known to Clarke and his fellow inmate, Cornell Bell from Quincy.
Both Clarke and Bell are being held at the facility in connection with a murder in Quincy in August 2022.
Corrections officer fired
According to the Norfolk County Sheriff's Office, Guirand was hired this past April after undergoing a criminal background check and screenings. He has since been fired. McDermott said when Guirand was confronted last month, he admitted to providing the narcotics to Clarke and Bell. He allegedly told investigators Clarke told him he'd be paid $5,000, which he never received.
"The last thing that we want to see is drugs being entered into this facility, especially when our number one role here at the sheriff's office and at our correctional facility is rehabilitation before these men go forward and back into their communities," said McDermott.
In addition to Guirand, Clarke and Bell, Avelina Faustin of Brockton and Amaya Rogers are all facing multiple charges, including drug conspiracy and delivering drugs to a correctional institution. They all have separate hearings scheduled in Dedham District Court in early October.