Chicago corrections officer charged in pot smuggling attempt

By Fiona Ortiz CHICAGO (Reuters) - A corrections officer in Chicago's Cook County Jail was arrested on Tuesday and faces a federal criminal charge for allegedly trying to smuggle two sandwiches packed with marijuana into the jail last year, federal authorities said. Three inmates, two civilian women and a police dispatcher have also been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice in the case. In June 2013, the inmates and their two women friends allegedly bribed corrections officer Jason Marek to smuggle three ounces of pot, along with tobacco, alcohol and other contraband, into the jail, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois said in a statement. Marek packed the marijuana inside two sandwiches and the inmates planned to sell it inside the jail, where it can fetch up to five times its street price, the statement said. Marek, also known as "Murder" and "Murda," was arrested on Tuesday and released on his own recognizance. The two women and the police dispatcher were also charged and released. The three inmates who face charges remain in state custody, the statement said. The police dispatcher was charged with one count of illegally accessing a law-enforcement computer. The other six were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana. The defendants face maximum penalties of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the U.S. Attorney's statement said. (Editing by Mohammad Zargham)