9 Stillwater Prison Staff Hospitalized Over Synthetic Drug Exposure

STILLWATER, MN — Nine staff members at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater were hospitalized Thursday after they were exposed to a synthetic drug, the state Department of Corrections announced.

The DOC’s Office of Special Investigations is looking into inmates suspected of collaborating with outside individuals or groups to smuggle substances into the facility.

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"These synthetic substances are particularly dangerous because the chemical properties that comprise them are unknown and uncontrolled," said DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell in a statement.

"We are prioritizing our investigative efforts to identify and prosecute those responsible for conspiring to introduce these substances into the secure correctional environment. For the safety of our staff, we are reviewing and updating our emergency response protocols to suspected drug use incidents."

On Thursday at 7:44 a.m., a staff person at MCF-Stillwater responded to a report of an inmate smoking an unknown substance in his cell.

The staff member experienced an adverse reaction that included lightheadedness, nausea, and an increased heart rate, and he was taken by ambulance to Lakeview Hospital.

Several more staff members began feeling ill, including one who was administered Narcan.

While this was happening, a separate but similar incident unfolded, authorities said. An inmate in the same housing unit threw a container with an unknown substance from his cell that landed near staff. As a result, three staff members experienced illness and were transported to the hospital.

In total, nine staff members were hospitalized, all of whom were treated and released later on Thursday.

The DOC said its special agents are actively investigating to determine what the substance was and how the contraband is being introduced into the facility.

The inmate caught smoking the substance Thursday said he had consumed a stronger-than-expected dose of synthetic K-2, according to authorities.

While investigators have not yet completed testing in this case, recent investigations have detected the presence of MDMB-4en-PINACA, soaked into paper and dried. PINACA is an indazole-based synthetic cannabinoid that is often purchased online and can be introduced into the facility through the mail, authorities said.

The Minnesota DOC, along with corrections agencies across the U.S., are employing various strategies to prevent these substances from entering facilities through the mail.

Efforts include scanning mail with machine detection systems and launching a pilot program in which nearly all mail is photocopied, officials said.