Guard At Delco Prison Smuggled Drugs For Inmates: DA

A former guard at George W. Hill Correctional Facility is accused of bringing drugs into the prison for inmates in exchange for cash.

Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun M. Copeland said Thursday that Antonio Woods, former a correctional officer at the prison, is facing felony contraband charges for attempting to distribute narcotics to an inmate in exchange for cash.

Woods, 32, Collingdale, is charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and contraband, both ungraded felony offenses, the DA's office said.

Woods was charged following an undercover investigation conducted by Detective Steven Bannar of the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Narcotics Unit with help from prison investigators and Darby Township Police Officer Heather Myers.

Bannar launched the probe after learning a correctional officer at the prison was allegedly bringing contraband narcotics into the prison for the inmates, according to the DA's office.

Through the course of the investigation, investigators learned Wood would get phone numbers of inmate relatives and friends, make contact with them, then arrange to meet them at a location outside of the prison, the DA's office said.

Woods would charge about $1,000 to bring the narcotics into the prison and the individual paying the fee would have to supply the drugs, according to the DA's office. Woods would sometimes offer a discounted price of $900, the DA's office alleges.

"Instead of doing his job of ensuring the safety of inmates and his coworkers, Antonio Woods breached the trust of his colleagues, putting their safety at risk by bringing narcotics into his workplace. As a correctional officer, we hold Antonio Woods to a higher standard of conduct," Copeland said. "I would like to commend the investigators at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility for their assistance and CID Detective Steven Bannar and Darby Township Police Officer Heather Myers whose undercover investigation led to the arrest in this case. We commend the administration at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility for their continued vigilance and daily efforts to ensure the safety of inmates and our community by preventing drugs and contraband from entering the prison. Working together, we will continue to root out and arrest those individuals who attempt to do so."

Woods was held after failing to post 10 percent of $500,000 bail.

He is slated for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 29.

Image via Delaware County District Attorney's Office