Latest news with #K2-laced
Boston Globe
06-03-2025
- Boston Globe
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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Mass. state employee, inmate charged in scheme to smuggle drugs into federal prison
A Massachusetts state employee and a prison inmate are accused of smuggling drugs into the federal prison in Devens, the U.S. Attorney said Wednesday. Tasha Hammock, 43, of Bridgewater, an employee with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and Raymond Gaines, 45, an inmate at FMC Devens, are both charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance analogue, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. Hammock was arrested Tuesday and appeared in federal court in Boston, Foley said. Gaines will make an initial appearance at a later date. The pair are accused of conspiring to distribute a synthetic cannabinoid, also known as 'K2,' into the Devens prison. Gaines had been granted clemency on Jan. 17, reducing his 2022 federal prison sentence for drug distribution. On Jan. 25, 2022, Gaines was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. At the time he committed the offenses, he was on federal judicial supervised release after serving a prison sentence resulting from a 2017 conviction for distributing cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a school. According to court records, in both prior cases, Gaines was alleged to be an associate of the Orchard Park Trailblazers, a street gang in Boston. On Jan. 17, Gaines received an Executive Grant of Clemency, reducing his current federal sentence to five years in prison. According to the charging document, on Aug. 18, 2024, Hammock, while visiting Gaines in the prison, surreptitiously passed K2-laced papers to Gaines, which he pocketed. Foley's office on Wednesday released photographs of the alleged transaction between Hammock and Gaines. In addition, Hammock allegedly previously handled money connected with the distribution of K2 to Gaines in FMC Devens, and she allegedly received K2 at her home for distribution into the prison, prosecutors said. According to the criminal complaint, law enforcement became interested in Hammock's visits to Gaines after obtaining a cellphone that had allegedly been smuggled to an inmate in the prison. That inmate, in September 2023, allegedly sent messages on the cell phone to another person, discussing obtaining K2 in prison. The inmate allegedly told the other person that the drugs could be delivered to a particular address in Bridgewater – later determined to be Hammock's home, - and that the inmate's 'co' would arrange for the drugs to be brought into the prison from there. According to prosecutors, K2 presents a health problem at FMC Devens, where inmates have become sick from smoking paper believed to contain K2, as well as prison staff who have been exposed to the secondary smoke. If convicted on the charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance analogue, Hammock and Gaines face a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
