Southampton County indicts inmates and civilian on drug charges
SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — Two inmates and one civilian were formally indicted for drug-related incidents in 2023 at the Virginia Department of Corrections Deerfield Correctional Center.
The first incident occurred on Aug. 12 after an inmate at the facility, Leopold T. Ashe, was visited by Mary Margaret Marchio. Following the visit, Ashe was searched. Officials recovered a surgical mask with suspected drugs. An investigation revealed that Marchio and Ashe were allegedly conspiring to traffic drugs into the facility.
The second incident occurred on Sept. 18 after security staff searched Djaun L. Brooks’ bedding and found narcotics including: five bags containing green, plant-like material, 20 packaged pills, suspected Buprenorphine, one bottle containing an unknown, clear liquid, and an unknown, unwrapped pill.
Ashe and Marchio are charged with two counts of possession of unlawful controlled substances
possession of Buprenorphine and Naloxone, and delivery of drugs, firearms, explosives, etc., to prisoners or committed persons.
Brooks was also charged with several drug charges, including ones on Buprenorphine.
According to a 2021 study by the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Buprenorphine in jails is often used as a form of self treatment to avoid the affects of withdrawal from opioid use.
It is the top single treatment used for opioid withdrawal in a sample of people of New York and Maryland, and the easiest opioid to get while in jail, according to the study.
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