In Chester County, Pennsylvania, a correctional officer has been apprehended on charges of smuggling drugs into Chester County Prison and distributing them within the facility, according to District Attorney Deb Ryan. On Tuesday, Antoine Williams, a 27-year-old resident of Philadelphia, was charged with offenses including possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and engaging in unlawful activities.
Ryan stated, “The defendant was employed as a correctional officer to maintain law and order within the prison, but he has grossly abused his position of authority. No one is exempt from the law, and my office will ensure he is held responsible for his illegal actions. We appreciate the diligent efforts of the Chester County Prison and the Chester County Detectives in uncovering this serious violation.”
The District Attorney’s office alleges that Williams introduced drugs into the prison by concealing them within small rolls of trash bags. An inmate at Chester County Prison informed another correctional officer that his former cellmate, Jonathan Aguilera, received suboxone from Williams and made payments for it through Cash App.
A search of Aguilera’s cell led to the discovery of small trash bags, and subsequent urine testing confirmed the presence of Buprenorphine (also known as suboxone) in his system. According to the DA’s office, a second inmate, a few days later, disclosed to a lieutenant that Williams was involved in selling suboxone, tobacco, and a designer drug called K-2 (mimicking THC). These items were placed inside small trash bags for delivery to inmates in the L-block.
The inmate further revealed that Williams accepted payments through Cash App and enlisted Aguilera’s assistance in distributing the drugs to other inmates. Security footage captured Williams with what appeared to be a roll of toilet paper and trash bags. He was seen placing this roll of trash bags on the cell bars in the L-block.
After conducting a search of Williams’ cell phone number on Cash App, Chester County detectives identified his involvement with the platform. According to the DA’s office, Aguilera informed detectives that Williams had introduced suboxone, marijuana, and Percocet into Chester County Prison on multiple occasions. He disclosed that he had purchased suboxone from Williams between April and August.
Aguilera reported paying $50 per strip of suboxone and provided detectives with screenshots of these transactions. A subsequent search warrant revealed the existence of nine different Cash App accounts associated with Williams. In June, multiple Cash App payments were recorded between Aguilera and Williams, with amounts ranging from $50 to $400, as stated by the DA’s office.
Williams is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on October 18, 2023, with bail set at $150,000.