Soaked pages containing fentanyl found in prison cell at Prince George federal facility
VENN
PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A 45-year-old Texas man was sentenced after soaked pages containing fentanyl were found hidden in his Prince George County prison cell.
On Wednesday, Sept. 3, 45-year-old Carlos Contreras of Laredo, Texas was sentenced to three years and three months in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
At the time of this incident, Contreras was serving an over 17-year sentence at FCI Petersburg Medium -- a federal prison in Prince George County -- for his role in a large drug trafficking conspiracy that reportedly involved 33 other defendants.
On Aug. 18, 2022, Contreras' cell was randomly searched by a guard. According to court documents, the guard found contraband in a hollowed-out hidden compartment behind the cell's mirror.
That contraband consisted of 50 orange strips wrapped in clear Saran wrap, as well as 16 pages of paper that appeared to have been soaked in a liquid.
The orange strips were suspected to be suboxone or buprenorphine, which are prescription narcotics.
The 16 pages were later tested by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and found to contain fentanyl. They weighed nearly 28 grams in total, the DOJ said.
At the time, Contreras reportedly told the guard that the contraband belonged to him and that his "cell[mate] ain't got nothing to do with it," per court documents.
