Fired correction officer, four others charged for allegedly smuggling drugs into jail

The Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office has filed drug conspiracy charges against a now-former correction officer and four other individuals.

In addition to the officer, the charges, stemming from an investigation launched by the NCSO on Aug. 1, were filed against “two justice involved individuals” held at the agency’s correctional center in Dedham and two women known to the men, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

The people involved were Correction Officer Jean Guirand, 40, of Saugus; offender Dante Clarke, 25, of Dorchester; offender Cornel Bell, 29, of Quincy; Avelina Faustin, 20, of Brockton; and Amaya Rogers, 27, of Boston, authorities said. They are all charged with conspiracy, delivering drugs to a correctional facility, and possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute.

The investigation started following intelligence that a probationary correction officer hired in April was allegedly involved in illegal activity, the statement said.

“The Norfolk County Sheriff’s acted immediately after receiving the intelligence,” Sheriff Patrick McDermott said in the statement. “That officer was confronted that day, before the start of his shift, and he admitted to providing the narcotics to the offenders.”

The officer, Guirand, was placed on leave, escorted off the property, and fired on Aug. 2, McDermott said.

Investigators say Guirand said Clarke asked him to “bring something in” for him. After initially denying Clarke help, Guirand allegedly agreed when he was offered $5,000 to assist.

Guirand told investigators he never received the money from Clarke and that he was “not sure why he was recruited by them.”

Officials said suboxone, one of the main medications used to treat opioid addiction and a common contraband drug in correctional facilities, was hidden inside a Wendy’s fast food bag that Rogers gave to Guirand on July 29. 

Guirand hid the drugs between trash bags and gave them to Clarke, the statement said, and at the direction of Clarke and Bell, Faustin allegedly got access to the narcotics and gave them to Rogers for drop off.

Two-hundred-thirty-eight strips of suboxone were found “hidden in two pomade containers taken from the offenders’ cells,” the statement said.

The approximate value of the strips in a correctional setting amounts to $47,600, according to the office.

“This officer betrayed the honor of the men and women who serve with honesty and integrity as dedicated correction officers in Norfolk County,” McDermott said. “We strive to hire men and women of good character to ensure those who are hired by our agency and those entrusted to lead it are grounded in the foundation of our mission and values.”

All of the suspects will appear in hearings in Dedham District Court in early October.