SUWANNEE COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - A Suwannee County corrections officer has been accused of smuggling drugs into the Suwannee Correctional Institution Annex.
Shanika Joseph, 26, was arrested on Tuesday.
On Sunday, while conducting a cleaning of the search room at Suwannee Correctional Institution Annex, another corrections officer found, hidden under a mop in the next room, 39 cigarettes, two grams of synthetic marijuana, 29 grams of methamphetamine, and 21 individually wrapped Suboxone strips.
Investigators with the Florida Department of Corrections Office of the Inspector General state surveillance video from the facility connects Joseph to the crime.
Based on the evidence, she is being charged with introduction of contraband, drug trafficking, and possession of controlled substances.
Joseph was taken to the Suwannee County Jail and her bond has been set at $20,000.
A Florida Department of Corrections spokesperson, Patrick Manderfield, issued a statment about the arrest:
"This officer’s misconduct does not represent the values of the Department or the thousands of correctional officers we proudly employ. We commend the work of our Inspector General’s Office and the contributions of our law enforcement partners in this arrest."
