ARCADIA, Fla. — A Florida woman is accused of attempting to smuggle narcotics into a prison while visiting an inmate with her infant grandchild, authorities said.
Melissa Anne Webster, 44, of Tallahassee, was caught with 100 grams of cocaine and heroin on Sunday during a visit to the DeSoto Correctional Institution in Arcadia, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Webster was charged with trafficking in heroin, trafficking in cocaine, (the) introduction of contraband into a correctional facility, child abuse/neglect and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to DeSoto County Jail online booking records.
Prison officials thoroughly search visitors and found the narcotics when Webster visited the facility on Sunday, WFTX-TV reported. They also found an additional 687.7 grams of heroin and cocaine inside Webster’s vehicle in the prison parking lot after K-9s did a “free sniff” and also and inside the baby’s car seat, according to the television station.
The sheriff’s office stated in its release that Webster had nearly 800 grams, or 2 pounds, of narcotics in her possession in total.
The Department of Children and Family Services was called to the scene and took the infant into its custody, WZVN-TV reported.
Investigators did not say who Webster was intending to visit or whether the baby was used to help hide the drugs, the Miami Herald reported.
Webster was being held without bail, the sheriff’s office said.
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