Monmouth officer who snuck drugs into jail in potato chip bags gets 5 years in prison
FREEHOLD — An 18-year corrections officer who smuggled drugs into the Monmouth County Jail in bags of potato chips received a five-year prison sentence Friday and permanently forfeited his six-figure job.
Superior Court Judge Jill G. O'Malley imposed the prison term on Bryant Mack, 55, of Shamong, Burlington County, and permanently barred him from public employment in the state, said Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago.
Mack, who worked at the Monmouth County Jail for 18 years, came under investigation on Sept. 4, 2021, when two inmates were caught in their cells with synthetic marijuana and other contraband, Santiago said.
An investigation by the prosecutor's office and the jail's Special Investigations Division revealed that Mack would hide drugs and other contraband in potato chip bags and smuggle them into the jail to an inmate who would facilitate distribution of the items throughout the facility, Santiago said in a news release.
Mack pleaded guilty in November to second-degree conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, admitting then that he had an agreement with that inmate to smuggle the synthetic marijuana into the jail in exchange for payment, the news release said.
Mack earned an annual salary of $119,136 in 2021, records show.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutors Melanie Falco and Kimberly Gilhooly.
Kathleen Hopkins, a reporter in New Jersey since 1985, covers crime, court cases, legal issues and just about every major murder trial to hit Monmouth and Ocean counties. Contact her at khopkins@app.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth corrections officer gets 5 years in prison for drug smuggling
