A Schuylkill County man serving as a corrections officer trainee is facing criminal charges after allegedly agreeing to smuggle drugs into a state prison in exchange for cash payments during an undercover sting operation.
Jeffrey Taveras, 36, of Schuylkill Haven, was taken into custody Tuesday following an investigation by the Pennsylvania Dept. of Corrections Bureau of Investigations and Intelligence (BII).
Investigators allege Taveras agreed to introduce paper soaked with synthetic cannabinoids into SCI-Mahanoy in exchange for $5,000.
The investigation began in January when prison intelligence officers reportedly received word from a confidential source that Taveras had agreed to bring contraband into the facility.
In response, a BII agent using a fictitious phone number created through a VOIP application began communicating with Taveras. During the exchange, Taveras allegedly provided a personal phone number that matched the records on his DOC employment application.
Following a series of text messages, Taveras and the undercover agent allegedly arranged a meeting to exchange what he believed to be “three pages of paper saturated in synthetic cannabinoids” and $5,000 in cash.
The cash was to be Taveras’ payment for smuggling the drugs into the prison.
In the messages, the parties allegedly used the slang terms “gas” for the synthetic drugs and “bands” for the currency, investigators say.
On Jan. 30, Taveras allegedly initiated a second conversation to finalize the time and location of the transaction. The meeting was set for Tuesday morning at 11.
Then, on Tuesday morning, the undercover agent met with Taveras and handed him a manila envelope. The envelope contained $1,500 cash and “replica contraband” constructed by investigators to look like drug-saturated paper.
Upon taking possession of the envelope, Taveras was immediately surrounded by BII agents and placed into custody.
Taveras was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker on Tuesday morning and charged with felony counts of attempted possession with intent to deliver, attempted possession of contraband, and criminal use of a communication facility. He’s also been charged with a misdemeanor count of attempted possession of a controlled substance.
Kilker set bail at $50,000 and Taveras was remanded to Schuylkill County Prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 12.
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