Sheriff: Inmate Busted Trying To Smuggle Contraband Into Yaphank Jail

YAPHANK, NY — The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office announced they made a major contraband bust last week at the Yaphank Correctional Facility. An inmate attempted to smuggle razor blades and drugs including fentanyl stashed in his body into the facility.

Officers found the material when William Santiago, 36, from Holtsville, was being booked into the jail. According to a statement from the sheriff's office, he was found "in possession of multiple ceramic razor blades, drugs, and lighting materials during the routine intake search."

Santiago hid multiple small packages in his body, according to the sheriff's office.

The packages contained "three large ceramic razor blades, six small ceramic razor blades, one small bag of fentanyl, eleven bundles containing over 100 strips of suboxone, K2 (synthetic marijuana), match strikers, rolling papers, and numerous match heads."

Santiago was originally sentenced to three to six years for a felony weapons charge, and now he's being charged with an additional eleven counts of promoting prison contraband in the first degree, nine counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, one count of promoting prison contraband in the second degree, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree.

Sheriff Errol Toulon thanked the correction officers involved in the bust.

“These vigilant correction officers and investigators prevented possible seriously injury or the loss of life of both staff and inmates alike with this discovery. These razor blades could have been used both here in the Suffolk County Correctional Facility and upstate in prison. I salute their hard work and commend them for their diligence in keeping Suffolk County safe.”