Baltimore County Corrections Officer Charged in Drug Smuggling Operation: Police

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A corrections officer has been charged with conspiracy to distribute drugs at the Baltimore County Detention Center, police reported Monday.

Melvin Jerome Hodges, 31, of the 900 block of Chestnut Hill Avenue in the Waverly area, was taken into custody Thursday for his involvement in a Suboxone operation, according to the Baltimore County Police Department.

Suboxone is a narcotic medication used to treat opiate dependence.

Police officers began investigating after detention center authorities notified them of a suspected drug smuggling operation inside the Towson facility, the Baltimore County Police Department reported.

Detectives and corrections officials determined that Hodges, a corrections officer, had been bringing Suboxone into the facility, where an inmate distributed it, according to the report.

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Hodges was arrested Thursday at the detention center and released Friday on $35,000 bail, according to police.

Court records show the conspiracy to distribute narcotics charge is from an incident that occurred Jan. 31.

On Monday morning, Cpl. John Wachter of the Baltimore County Police Department said that he did not believe the inmate had been charged, and the investigation was ongoing.

Photo courtesy of the Baltimore County Police Department.