A former Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) officer pleaded guilty to being paid by an inmate to smuggle methamphetamine and marijuana into a far North Georgia prison, authorities said.
Tiffany Cook, 34, of Summerville, pleaded guilty Thursday to possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak said in a news release.
Cook worked as a correctional officer at Hays State Prison in Trion, starting in April 2017, the release said. Trion is located in Chattooga County, and it is about 95 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.
In July 2018, the GDC received a tip from an inmate that Cook was being paid to smuggle drugs into the prison, the release said. When correctional officers asked Cook to walk to a conference room for her next regularly-scheduled shift on July 9, she said she felt ill and wanted to leave the prison, prompting officers to detain and search her.
She had more than 118 grams of methamphetamine and 150 grams of marijuana on her, the release said. She was then arrested. The GBI and GDC are investigating her case.
Her sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 21. She had worked with the GDC since 2010.
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