Prince George's Prison Guard Pleads Guilty To Smuggling Drugs For Inmate Boyfriend

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Former Prince George’s County Department of Corrections correctional officer Danielle Dominique Smith, 34, of Waldorf, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance in connection with her smuggling drugs to a prisoner with whom she had an intimate relationship.

According to her guilty plea, from Nov. 23, 2009, through April 15, 2022, Smith was employed as a correctional officer at the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections detention facility. During her employment, Smith developed a romantic and sexual relationship with an inmate at PGDOC, discussing their relationship on recorded jail calls beginning on at least June 3, 2021, and continuing until March 2, 2022.

As detailed in the plea agreement, from August 29, 2021, and March 2, 2022, Smith conspired with her inmate boyfriend and other co-conspirators to distribute suboxone and the synthetic cannabinoid commonly known as K2. Court documents show that Smith obtained the controlled substances from co-conspirators outside PGDOC, then smuggled the drugs into PGDOC where she concealed them on special diet food trays designated for her inmate boyfriend.

Once the inmate received the food tray, he distributed the controlled substances to other inmates within PGDOC. Other inmates, or relative and friends of inmates, then sent Smith money for the controlled substances, prosecutors noted.

Smith and the inmate discussed the distribution of the controlled substances on recorded jail calls, referring to the controlled substances as food products in an effort to disguise the nature of the conversation. On Sept. 24, 2021, PGDOC Special Investigations and Intelligence Section searched Smith’s boyfriend’s cell for contraband and recovered white paper that was found to contain K2. On Feb. 16, 2022, PGDOC Special Investigations and Intelligence Section conducted a targeted cell search of another PGDOC inmate for suspected contraband and found a bottle containing 395 strips that were found to contain suboxone. The K2 and suboxone were smuggled into PGDOC by Smith.

At the end of February 2022, Smith took pre-approved leave from work. Smith continued to speak to her inmate boyfriend on jail calls during that time. On a March 2, 2022, jail call, the day Smith was scheduled to return to work, the inmate asked Smith if she was bringing the “meals,” and Smith said she was. Concerned that Smith was going to smuggle additional controlled substances, PGDOC leaders suspended Smith when she arrived at work that same day.

If the court accepts the plea agreement, Smith will be sentenced to six months of home detention.