77-year-old Texas Attorney caught selling Fentanyl, Marijuana to 154 inmates
…rakes in $180,000 from proceeds of alleged sale of drugs hidden inside bogus legal papers
* “When Mr. Lewis visited the jail last Friday, Nov. 17, our team was ready. They arrested Mr. Lewis and found him carrying multiple sheets of paper contaminated with a substance”- Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez
*BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/AMERICA Senior Investigative Editor
AN ELDERLY TEXAS DEFENSE ATTORNEY, RONALD HENRY LEWIS, has been handcuffed, being prosecuted for being a ‘major supplier’ of fentanyl, marijuana to inmates in jail, wrapped in bogus legal papers laced with drugs at Harris County.
This 77-year-old man was charged with two felony counts of bringing a prohibited substance into a correctional facility, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced during a news conference Monday.
Gonzalez said the sheriff’s office created the jail Criminal Investigations and Security Division in March to stop the flow of drugs into the jail because its medical clinic “was seeing more and more people requiring emergency treatment for what seemed like emergency overdoses.”
Lt. Jay Wheeler reportedly said recently following two inmate deaths that may have been overdose-related, a probe was launched into the narcotics trade being smuggled into the jail in the form of paper “that was sprayed or dipped with a chemical compound.”
One month later, the unit received information that an attorney was taking illegal narcotics to several inmates in the jail.
Investigators determined that an attorney was visiting inmates and giving them sheets of paper, often disguised as legal mail or legal documents, that were laced with narcotics such as ecstasy and synthetic marijuana. In return, inmates would pay $250 to $500 for the papers, Gonzalez and Wheeler said.
Tips from within the jail led investigators to identify Lewis, and a warrant was issued Nov. 9.
“When Mr. Lewis visited the jail last Friday, Nov. 17, our team was ready. They arrested Mr. Lewis and found him carrying multiple sheets of paper contaminated with a substance now being tested to confirm whether it’s indeed an illegal narcotic,” Gonzalez said.
At the time of his arrest, Lewis was found with 11 sheets of paper suspected of being laced with drugs, Wheeler said.
From July to November, Lewis visited a total of 14 inmates, and in total 154 sheets of paper laced with narcotics were confiscated from the jail, Wheeler said.
Wheeler said investigators are working with the Texas Rangers to see whether any narcotics Lewis introduced to the jail led to the death of an inmate.
Officials said Monday that it is believed other attorneys are involved in the narcotics surfacing at the jail and that the investigation continues.
According to the State Bar of Texas, Lewis has been a licensed attorney since 1982.
He has been released from jail after he posted $15,000 bond.
An attorney for Lewis, Tyrone Moncriffe, said Tuesday that “we are doing a thorough investigation of the facts in this case” and that any comments on the matter will come when it is complete.
SUPPORT OUR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS & JOURNALISM:
CERTAINLY, Good journalism costs a lot of money. Without doubt, only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government. We are ready to hold every corrupt government accountable to the citizens. To continually enjoy free access to the best investigative journalism in Nigeria, we are requesting of you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavor.”
By contributing to NAIJA STANDARD NEWSPAPER, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all without fear or favor.
Your donation is voluntary — please decide how much and how often you want to give. For offline donation, email: letters@nigeriastandardnewspaper.com or call +2348037128048 (Nigeria) or +16825834890 (United States of America)
