TAZEWELL COUNTY, Va. – A Halifax County woman is facing charges following a drug smuggling incident that took place at Pocahontas State Correctional Center in Tazewell County earlier this month, Virginia Department of Corrections said.
VADOC said they received information on Jan. 3 that a woman might be attempting to smuggle drugs to an inmate at the Pocahontas State Correctional Center. When the suspect arrived, a K-9 alerted on the woman. She later surrendered a package to special agents and claimed the package contained Buprenorphine strips, an opioid medication.
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Authorities identified the suspect as Paula Saunders Daniel of Halifax. She was charged with “one count of Manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing with intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute a controlled substance or an imitation controlled substance prohibited and one count of Delivery of drugs to prisoners or committed persons.” The estimated prison value of the drugs was over $96,000.
“Pocahontas State Correctional Center and our facilities as a whole are safer today thanks to the great investigative work from our Office of Law Enforcement Services (OLES) team members who work hand-in-hand with our staff inside our facilities around the clock to keep Virginia’s correctional centers safe and secure. I thank them for their great work, and hope this serves as a reminder that drugs and illegal contraband have absolutely no place inside our facilities.”
VADOC Director Chad Dotson