U.S. Marshals investigating contraband smuggling into Benton County jail
The U.S. Marshals Service is investigating the smuggling of contraband into the Benton County jail.
Benton County officials confirmed to the Tri-City Herald that there is an open investigation into reports of inmates obtaining banned items.
They declined to release further details about it because it is an open investigation.
However, at least one inmate has been charged with possessing contraband.
And while it’s unclear if the case is connected to the federal investigation, the inmate was being held in the county jail in Kennewick under a federal contract with the U.S. Marshals Service.
Sami Anwar, a former doctor from Pakistan who operated a medical research lab in the Tri-Cities, has a pending felony case in Benton County Superior Court for possession of a cellphone by a prisoner.
Anwar recently was sentenced to more than 28 years in a federal prison for falsifying human clinical research trials.
Days after his November 2018 indictment in that case, Anwar was ordered locked up while awaiting trial because of concerns he would leave the country and threats he’d made to employees and witnesses about cooperating with investigators.
Then in September 2019, Benton County corrections officers discovered the smuggled cellphone, along with a charger and wireless earbuds, during a pat down.
Testimony in his sentencing hearing last week revealed the items were allegedly smuggled in by a woman, though it is not clear what relation she had to Anwar. Prosecutors said she currently is not expected to be charged.
He claimed he was threatened by another inmate to hold the phone, but that inmate denied knowing anything about it.
Investigators weren’t able to open the phone because it was password protected. A search of the phone’s iCloud backup account turned up photos and documents connected to Anwar.
With the recent federal sentencing, it’s unclear if Anwar’s contraband charge will be dropped.
The Benton County jail can hold 600 to 800 inmates, but COVID-19 has meant the jail has cut back on the number of inmates held in recent months.
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 10:55 AM.