A Texas correctional officer is facing criminal charges after allegedly sneaking an unusual item into the Travis County Correctional Complex… chicken wings.
Authorities say Amos Nyanway, who worked for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, was arrested after investigators determined he delivered chicken wings to an inmate in exchange for money.
The incident has drawn attention to a broader problem of contraband smuggling within jails across the country.
According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, the investigation began on August 21 when a member of the Security Threat Intelligence Unit learned about the alleged exchange.
Nyanway was immediately placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of the inquiry.
On Tuesday, the department confirmed Nyanway had been terminated and taken into custody.
Jail records show he began working with the office on June 17, 2024.
Sheriff Sally Hernandez voiced frustration over the incident, calling the decision both careless and damaging to public trust.
“I’m disappointed that a Travis County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Officer made such a foolish decision,” she said.
“We hold our employees to a high standard of conduct and accountability. We simply cannot tolerate contraband of any type being brought into our secure facilities.”
Smuggling contraband into a correctional facility is a Class B misdemeanor, which carries a penalty of up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.
In Louisiana, a similar breach of trust recently made headlines when Natacia Brown, a 20-year-old correctional officer from Lafourche Parish, was accused of smuggling synthetic marijuana to an inmate.
Authorities say Brown coordinated a deal outside the facility, brought the drugs into the jail, and handed them off to an inmate.
Investigators say she later admitted to her involvement and to a separate attempt to bring in additional narcotics.
Brown now faces multiple felony counts, including malfeasance in office. Her bail was set at $150,000, and she was fired immediately after her arrest.
In Georgia, two corrections officers and an inmate in Clayton County have been taken into custody over allegations they were part of a scheme to smuggle drugs and other banned items into the county jail, according to Sheriff Levon Allen’s announcement on Wednesday.
Authorities identified the two officers as Ashley Victoria Lewis-Allen and K-9 Officer Leshawn Branch. Both are accused of sneaking narcotics into the detention center and supplying them to inmates.
Investigators said inmate Donsheldon Lowe, who was already incarcerated for vehicle hijacking and probation violations, was also charged for accepting the illicit goods.
Captain Jason Bennett with the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office explained that the arrests followed a review of surveillance footage that captured questionable activity involving staff members.
“It is tough, because it’s just a reminder that we still, after all the warnings from the sheriff, after the warnings from other command, after officers being arrested in our role, that people are still willing to put themselves at risk and other officers at risk,” Bennett said.
Bennett noted that all employees must pass through metal detectors before entering the jail, but some individuals attempt to conceal contraband on their bodies to evade security checks.
“We have a checkpoint, but the problem is if you put something come in a checkpoint,” he said.
Inside the facility, contraband is highly profitable. Bennett said items like phone chargers can sell for as much as $1,500, while a cellphone could fetch up to $3,000.
Investigators also revealed that Lewis-Allen admitted to smuggling the items because she was facing financial hardship and sought additional income.
In Alabama, corruption at one of the state’s most troubled prisons came to light when St. Clair Correctional Facility Lieutenant Calvin Bush was arrested for allegedly trafficking large amounts of drugs after several inmates overdosed, two of them fatally.
Investigators seized nearly nine pounds of methamphetamine, nineteen pounds of marijuana, crack cocaine, and more than 150 cell phones from Bush’s home and related locations. The total estimated street value exceeded half a million dollars.
The 37-year-old officer, a senior supervisor since 2016, allegedly used his authority to decide which officers conducted contraband searches, giving him control over what entered the facility.
New Jersey investigators have also uncovered contraband smuggling within their prisons.
In June, Senior Correctional Officer Christopher Santana, 32, of Hackensack, was charged with bribery, official misconduct, and introducing contraband at Northern State Prison in Newark.
According to the state attorney general’s office, Santana allegedly accepted about $2,000 in bribes to sneak tobacco and other restricted items into the prison.
Investigators said they noticed Santana arrive for a night shift with a visible bulge under his uniform.
A search revealed vacuum-sealed bags of suspected tobacco and bottles of liquid concealed under his protective vest.
A further investigation uncovered phones, drugs, and tobacco among inmates suspected of being part of the operation.
“This type of behavior damages the public’s perception of the many hardworking, honest officers who every day do the difficult, essential work of overseeing correctional institutions across our state,” Attorney General Matt Platkin said in a statement.
If convicted, Santana could face up to 25 years in prison and more than $300,000 in fines.
