MDC Brooklyn guard tried to smuggle vacuum-sealed bags of cigarettes, pot in his vest: feds

A correction serviceman astatine the troubled MDC Brooklyn national jail showed up to enactment wearing a protective vest stuffed with pot, cigarettes and different contraband, national prosecutors allege.

Najee Jackson, 32, who’d been connected the occupation astatine the Metropolitan Detention Center for conscionable implicit a year, tried to smuggle successful the banned items erstwhile helium reported for his nighttime displacement connected Jan. 21, according to tribunal filings. But helium ne'er got past the jail’s metallic detector, which according to a transgression ailment besides scans for unusually dense objects, federal prosecutors allege.

He triggered the detector’s alarm six times, removing his idiosyncratic items, his 2 coats, and yet his vest, successful an effort to get past without the scanner beeping, the feds allege.

He cleared the detector without the vest, but a hunt of the garment ended his ruse, the feds allege. His chap correction officers recovered 4 vacuum-sealed bags, 3 with cigarettes, the 4th with pot, according to a transgression complaint.

Authorities recovered vacuum-sealed bags, 3 with cigarettes, the 4th with pot, hidden wrong a vest being worn by Najee Jackson, a correction serviceman astatine the Metropolitan Detention Center successful Brooklyn, officials said. (United States District Court)

He besides had 2 lighters and a container of rolling papers connected him, the feds allege.

Two days later, Jackson discontinue his job, and connected Wednesday, national authorities arrested him.

He was arraigned successful Brooklyn Federal Court Wednesday and ordered released connected $10,000 bond. His lawyer declined remark Thursday.

“As alleged, Najee Jackson violated his work and abused his presumption of spot arsenic a correctional serviceman by attempting to smuggle contraband into the precise instauration helium was sworn to protect,” U.S. Attorney John J. Durham said.

MDC Brooklyn, the city’s lone national jail, has been plagued by violence, horrific conditions and terrible staffing shortages for years, drafting scrutiny from judges successful Brooklyn, Manhattan and Long Island. The jailhouse houses high-profile inmates similar Sean “Diddy” Combs and alleged CEO slayer Luigi Mangione.

Metropolitan Detention Center successful Brooklyn. (Gardiner Anderson for New York Daily News)

Jackson is the latest correction serviceman determination charged with sneaking contraband inside. In August, Fabienne Osias, 40, admitted successful national court she tried to sneak 5 USB charging cubes and 9 cables to an inmate.

In July, erstwhile Correction Officer Quandelle Joseph was sentenced to 2½ years down bars for taking bribes to smuggle contraband into the national jail.

Another correction officer, Leon Wilson, was busted successful September connected charges helium chased a BMW for miles retired of the jail’s unit parking batch successful 2023 and changeable 1 of its occupants, adjacent though helium had nary ineligible authorization to prosecute the car past the jail’s spot line.

Wilson’s defence lawyer defence lawyer said helium was trying to forestall them from smuggling contraband into the jail.