A health services worker in Miami-Dade County was arrested after an investigation led police to believe she was planning to smuggle contraband, including marijuana, into a detention center. NBC6’s Xochitl Hernandez reports.
A health services worker in Miami-Dade County was arrested after an investigation led police to believe she was planning to smuggle contraband, including marijuana, into a detention center, officials said.
Junell Bell, 39, was arrested Sunday morning and faces charges including possession of a controlled substance, introducing contraband into a correction facility and conspiracy to introduce contraband.
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Miami-Dade Corrections officials said information provided to them by Miami-Dade Police led them to believe an employee with Correctional Health Services, who provides medical care to inmates, was attempting to bring drugs into the facility.
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An operation was conducted late Saturday night at the Metro-West Detention Center, where Bell was taken into custody with a "substantial amount" of drugs including marijuana and oxycodone.
“The ability for us to police ourselves and hold one another accountable is paramount in assuring the safety of our staff, our community, and the inmate population,” said Miami-Dade Corrections Director James Reyes. “We will continue to exhaust all of the necessary resources and leverage our partnerships with other Miami-Dade County public safety stakeholders in order to assure we are operating safe and secure jails.”
Bell remains behind bars pending a Monday hearing. Officials did not release information on her job status.
