The search of a visitor suspected of smuggling by a team of correction officers in a Rikers Island jail yielded hundreds of potentially deadly painkillers, officials said Monday.
The visitor, identified by law enforcement sources as Irena Wilson, 29, was taken aside by three officers Saturday morning in the Robert N. Davoren Center.
During questioning, DOC said, the woman voluntarily turned over an object wrapped in black tape that contained 290 oxycodone pills and just over 7 ounces of contraband tobacco.
DOC officials said in the jail’s underground economy, each pill was worth about $100, making the total haul worth roughly $29,000.
Wilson was arrested and charged with one count of misdemeanor contraband smuggling and one count of felony contraband smuggling. Prosecutors did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
DOC Commissioner Louis Molina lauded the seizure and arrest.
“Their actions saved lives,” he said. “Smart, tactical investigations and arresting those who attempt to smuggle in narcotics is one of the many ways we are continuing to improve the safety of Rikers Island.”
The Correction Department has been struggling for three years with the drug contraband problem.
Between 2017 and 2020, there was just one fatal drug overdose in the jails.
Since January 2021, there have been nine deaths — many of them involving a deadly mix of fentanyl and heroin.
Earlier this year, Molina overcame union resistance and began a pilot program to body-scan staff to deter them from themselves smuggling drugs.
Wilson has a return court date on Aug. 1.