WASHINGTON, DC (WJLA/CNN) - The outside lot was jammed with emergency vehicles on Thursday, after the discovery of the a drug in a package or envelope mailed to the facility.
At first, field tests indicated the drug was fentanyl, a powerful opioid. But further tests indicate it was a "synthetic cannabinoid," DC Fire and EMS tweeted.
"There were some sickened employees that had gotten sick after handling mail," said John Donnelly, deputy chief of DC Fire and EMS.
The contamination happened during the mail screening process.
Investigators said the drug didn't spill out of the container it was mailed in, but just the aerial contact was enough to make 16 corrections employees sick. Seven of them were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
#DCsBravest today responded to a suspicious letter incident at the @DCCorrections Treatment Facility. Initial hazmat field tests indicated the substance was fentanyl. Further lab tests now identify it as synthetic cannabinoid.
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) March 16, 2018
Authorities aren't saying how much of the drug there was.
Police aren't say if the narcotic was contraband, if someone was targeting the jail or something else.
The mail room area has been decontaminated. The employees are now safe.
The police and the FBI hoping to track down whoever did this.
"The CTF has been screened, and all mail process has been temporarily halted. And all visits and programs have been temporarily halted until pending final clearance," said Quincy Booth, director of the DC Department of Corrections.
#DCsBravest Deputy Chief for Special Operations John Donnelly briefs the media after we helped mitigate a hazmat situation at the @DCCorrections Treatment Facility. We worked as a team with a number of partners to resolve the issue. pic.twitter.com/kRVOlEamqW
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) March 15, 2018
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