A man and a woman are now facing felony charges after they attempted to smuggle heroin into the Hamilton County Justice Center in December last year using a Bible.
According to Cincinnati.com, Tehani Teepe had allegedly mailed a Bible to Timothy King, who was detained in the Justice Center and was waiting for his transfer to Butler County Jail at the time. However, the Bible contained heroin that was smuggled through a stain in the first page of the Book of Daniel.
The Justice Center and its jail prohibit sending reading materials to the inmates unless it came directly from the publisher. However, the rule allows for the mailing of religious materials – a loophole that the accused apparently took advantage of.
The heroin was discovered by the jail's Belgian Shepherd that was part of its K-9 unit. After discovery, Cincinnati.com said the authorities scoured through the Bible looking for possible contraband stuffed between pages. They discovered the "coffee stain" instead. The stain was identified as heroin by the Hamilton County Coroner's Office.
Officials told Cincinnati.com that the stain was enough for 30 to 40 hits. The total dosage could be lethal to the inmates when taken in one session.
"Now you get a glimpse into how creative and determined these individuals really are as we see a Bible laced with heroin," Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil commented, adding that he and his staff had recently discussed the lengths to which their inmates will smuggle drugs into the jail.
Neil went on to commend the staff for their vigilance. "I want to commend my staff, who remain vigilant in our efforts to keep drugs out," Neil said. "Criminals are determined, but so are we."
Both Teepe and King have been charged with "illegal conveyance of a contraband into a correctional facility." The third-degree felony means a punishment of five years in prison. In addition, the two could also pay fines of up to $10,000.
