HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A Harris County Jail detention officer accused of smuggling drugs into the jail and selling them to inmates faced a judge Thursday morning.
Robert Robertson, 24, was arrested Wednesday when he showed up for his shift and was immediately suspended, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced at a news conference.
The sheriff said Robertson smuggled papers laced with marijuana and K-2 synthetic marijuana into the jail and sold them for up to $1,500. He's charged with engaging in organized crime.
The judge set his bond at $50,000.
“He essentially has used his position as a detention officer to escape scrutiny and smuggle drugs into the Harris County Jail,” Assistant Harris County District Attorney Kimberly Smith said.
Robertson has been with HCSO for six years. If convicted, he could get up to 20 years in prison.
Gonzalez launched the investigation earlier this year after a dramatic increase in drug overdoses in the jail that included at least two deaths.
“We’re going to be relentless on this,” the sheriff said Wednesday.
There could be more arrests in the monthslong investigation.
“These arrests should serve as a strong warning to those who try to sell drugs in our jail,” Gonzalez said. “We will catch you and you will face tough consequences.”
Two defense attorneys arrested
Earlier this month, a Houston attorney was also accused of smuggling drugs into the jail.
“This is truly the unraveling of a deadly drug smuggling ring,” Smith said Wednesday.
Longtime defense attorney Ronald Lewis, 77, was charged with having a prohibited substance in a correctional facility. The felony carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Lewis was released after posting a $15,000 bond.
Gonzalez said his team was ready when Lewis visited the jail on Nov. 17. They arrested him and said they found multiple sheets of paper that were contaminated with a substance that's being tested to find out what it is.
Authorities said the investigation revealed that Lewis smuggled in drug-laced papers to the inmates at the Baker Street jail for at least the last four months. They said the retired defense attorney smuggled in 154 laced pieces of paper and distributed them to 14 different inmates. He was arrested after a four-month investigation.
Detectives said the inmates would pay Lewis between $250 and $500 for the drug-laced papers.