COXSACKIE – Correction officers discovered synthetic marijuana, marijuana, cocaine and Suboxone hidden in inmate mail at the medium security Greene Correctional Facility.
A package of fruit snacks mailed to an inmate from the Buffalo area was x-rayed by an officer in the package room and when opened, they contained 24 small plastic bags with a green leafy substance inside. The snacks also contained a clear plastic bag with a powdery substance inside. The substance tested positive for synthetic marijuana, known as K2, and cocaine. That was around 7:30 a.m. on Friday, July 10, the corrections officers’ union, New York State Corrections Officers PBA reported.
At 9:10 a.m., an officer x-rayed four cans of corn and discovered five balloons inside with six ounces of synthetic marijuana. The drugs were mailed from downstate.
An hour-and-a-half later, officers processing bags of potato chips and fruit snacks sent to an inmate felt an object inside. The packages were opened and the officer discovered 95 plastic wrapped packages with over four ounces of K2 and one ounce of marijuana. The package was sent from the Capital Region.
A half hour later, an officer processing a letter mailed to an inmate tested positive for Suboxone. The letter was mailed from Long Island.
“Every day we are reporting drugs seized in inmate packages at prisons throughout the state,” said Michael Mazzella, the union’s Mid-Hudson region vice president. “This is a systemic problem that DOCCS (Department of Corrections and Community Service) appears to care little about making any positive changes to. How many more seizures need to be made during this pandemic until DOCCS takes proactive action?”
