Sheriff’s Office Says Body Cavity Search Reveals Fentanyl In Inmate’s Rectum At Snohomish County Jail In Everett, Washington

This was posted by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office in Everett, Washington to social media today. We’re passing it along here for those who don’t follow that format. Inmate overdoses have been an issue this year at the jail.

On July 27, Snohomish County Corrections staff reached out to the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force (SRDTF) regarding a 36-year-old jail inmate who was suspected to be in possession of narcotics. Based on the jail’s investigation, it was very likely the supply the inmate snuck in had caused at least two overdoses of inmates inside the jail the previous week.

Both inmates who overdosed were housed in the same module as the 36-year-old suspect; both were revived by Corrections staff utilizing Narcan and CPR before being transported to a local hospital for further treatment.

The 36-year-old inmate refused to cooperate with the investigation and adamantly refused to turn over the drugs. SRDTF detectives wrote, and were granted, a body cavity search warrant for the retrieval of the drugs. The suspect was then transported to a medical facility in Monroe for execution of the court ordered warrant. After a CT scan, it was discovered the 36-year-old had a baggie of fentanyl powder inside his rectum. Several less intrusive methods were attempted at retrieving the bag of drugs, but none were successful.

The 36-year-old had to be transferred to a medical facility in Everett where he was examined by a gastrointestinal specialist. It was determined the suspect would need to undergo a short medical procedure to remove the bag. By this time, the medical team identified this as a medical emergency due to the potential for loss of life with the lethal substance inside his rectum.

The medical procedure was successful, and the suspect was transported back to the Snohomish County Jail. A felony charge of Possession of Controlled Substance by a Prisoner was referred on the suspect.

This incident was the first time in our jail’s history that a body cavity search warrant was necessary, applied for and approved. This was exceptional investigative work by our Corrections deputies and SRDTF detectives to execute the search warrant and retrieve the drugs, potentially saving the inmate’s life and preventing any additional inmate overdoses.

A special thank you to our corrections staff for their dedication and commitment to providing a safe, secure and humane facility for our inmates. The strong collaboration between our corrections bureau and field patrol units has become one of the best in recent years as they continue to work together to prioritize public safety in Snohomish County.