4 charged in Cook County Jail drug smuggling attempt
CHICAGO - Four individuals, including one inmate, are facing felony charges for allegedly attempting to smuggle drug-soaked paper into the Cook County Jail.
Brandy Frazier, 23, and Leroy Carter, 42, were arrested Tuesday after officials said they tried to deliver drug-soaked paper to an inmate during a local hospital visit in March. Investigators had learned that a 26-year-old inmate directed Frazier to leave the contraband in a hospital bathroom for retrieval.
Sheriff's police said they confronted Frazier and Carter at the hospital on March 5, discovering three pieces of drug-soaked paper on Carter. The paper tested positive for synthetic cannabinoids.
Frazier and Carter face charges including possession of a controlled substance and attempting to introduce contraband into a penal institution. They were scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.
In a separate incident, Josephine Frazier, 30 (no relation to Brandy Frazier), and inmate Wendell Eiland, 27, were charged after Frazier allegedly attempted to pass drug-soaked paper during a jail visit on March 30.
Wendell Eiland, Leroy Carter, Josephine Frazier and Brandy Frazier | Provided
Eiland, awaiting trial for murder, was found with synthetic cannabinoid-soaked paper after Frazier allegedly slid him the drugs as they were sitting across from one another at a table. The incident was caught on surveillance video.
Both face charges of possession of a controlled substance, with additional charges for Frazier of bringing contraband into a penal institution.
The Sheriff’s Office has heightened efforts to combat drug-soaked paper smuggling, resulting in significant decreases in overdoses at the jail. From January 2024 to present, 26 individuals have been charged in connection with such attempts.
Inside Cook County Jail's battle against drug-soaked paper trade
Thousands of pieces of paper funnel through the Cook County Jail every single day - cards sent to inmates, letters, tissue used inside books being read. But beyond the barbed wire, a search is being done right now to find paper soaked in drugs, and it's hard to sniff out.