Texas lawyer slipped papers laced with drugs to inmates, was ‘major supplier’ to jail, officials say - newsflash.me

A Texas defense lawyer has been arrested and accused of being a “major supplier” of vulnerable narcotics successful jailhouse by sneaking inmates papers laced pinch drugs, nan Harris County Sheriff's Office said.

Ronald Henry Lewis, 77, was charged pinch 2 felony counts of bringing a prohibited constituent into a correctional facility, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced successful a news conference Monday.

Gonzalez said that nan sheriff’s agency created nan jailhouse Criminal Investigations and Security section successful March to extremity nan travel of narcotics into nan jailhouse aft its aesculapian session “was seeing much and much group requiring emergency curen for what seemed for illustration emergency overdoses.”

In June, pursuing 2 inmate deaths that were perchance overdose-related, a probe was launched regarding narcotics being smuggled into nan jailhouse successful nan shape of insubstantial "that was sprayed aliases dipped pinch a chemic compound," Lt. Jay Wheeler said.

One period later, nan portion received accusation that an lawyer was bringing forbidden narcotics to respective inmates successful nan jail. 

Investigators wished that an lawyer was visiting inmates and giving them sheets of paper, often disguised arsenic ineligible message aliases ineligible documents, that were laced pinch narcotics specified arsenic ecstasy and synthetic marijuana. In return, inmates would salary $250 to $500 for nan papers, Gonzalez and Wheeler said.

Tips from wrong nan jailhouse led investigators to place Lewis and a warrant was issued connected Nov. 9.

“When Mr. Lewis visited nan jailhouse past Friday, Nov. 17, our squad was ready. They arrested Mr. Lewis and recovered him carrying aggregate sheets of insubstantial contaminated pinch a constituent now being tested to corroborate whether it’s so an forbidden narcotic," Gonzalez said.

At nan clip of his arrest, Lewis was recovered pinch 11 sheets of insubstantial suspected to beryllium laced pinch drugs, Wheeler said.

From July to November this twelvemonth Lewis visited a full of 14 inmates and successful full 154 sheets of insubstantial laced pinch narcotics were confiscated from nan jail, Wheeler said.

Wheeler said investigators are moving pinch Texas Rangers to spot if immoderate narcotics Lewis introduced to nan jailhouse led to nan decease of an inmate. 

Officials said Monday that it is believed different attorneys are progressive successful narcotics surfacing astatine nan jailhouse and nan investigation is ongoing. 

According to nan State Bar of Texas, Lewis has been a licensed lawyer since 1982. 

He has since been released from jailhouse aft posting $15,000 bond. NBC News has reached retired to his lawyer for comment.