Devens inmate, Mass. state employee, charged with drug smuggling at prison
Gaines was sentenced in January 2022 to more than seven years after he pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, prosecutors said.
At the time, Gaines, who was known to associate with the Orchard Park Trailblazers, was on federal probation after serving time in prison for a 2017 conviction for distributing cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a school, according to Foley's statement.
Biden granted clemency to Gaines on Jan. 17, reducing his prison sentence to five years.
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Gaines' new charge is conspiracy to distribute a synthetic cannabinoid, known as K2, into the prison in Devens, prosecutors said.
Tasha Hammock, 43, of Bridgewater, who works for the state Department of Environmental Protection, is facing the same charge, authorities said. She was arrested Tuesday and made an initial appearance in US District Court in Boston.
A spokesperson for the state DEP did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.
Gaines' initial appearance has not yet been scheduled.
According to charging documents, Hammock surreptitiously passed K2-laced papers to Gaines while visiting him in prison. Gaines pocketed the contraband.
Hammock also is accused of receiving K2 at her residence for distribution into the prison and for allegedly handling money connected with the drug's distribution, prosecutors said.
Investigators became interested in Hammock's prison visits after confiscating a cellphone that had been smuggled to an inmate, Foley's statement said.
They discovered messages between an inmate and another person discussing K2 deliveries to Bridgewater and then to the prison.
K2 has caused health problems at FMC Devens, charging documents said. Inmates have gotten sick from smoking paper they think is laced with K2. Prison staff have been sickened from their exposure to secondary smoke.
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The conspiracy to distribute charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1 million, prosecutors said.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at
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