COVINGTON, La. — After $16,000 worth of illegal drugs was found inside St. Tammany Parish Jail, deputies arrested two women outside the jail and one inmate; St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office announced on Monday.
The inmate, Joshua Martin, 27, was re-booked on Friday for smuggling the suboxone, a drug prescribed to treat opioid addiction, but one that can also be abused and overused, into the jail in Covington.
Two women from the Covington area -- Samantha Rotherham, 31, and Lisa Lloyd, 44, -- were also arrested on Friday and booked for a felony count of Conspiracy to Introduce Contraband into a Correctional Facility.
“I applaud the detectives in the jail who investigated and identified not only the source of the contraband but the inmate they were working with,” Sheriff Smith said on Monday. “We will not tolerate anyone attempting to sneak illegal narcotics into the parish jail.”
The amount of suboxone that was confiscated last week was reportedly worth $16,000, according to St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith. It reportedly took detectives three days until they located and arrested three suspects in the case.
Suboxone is a Schedule III drug, which is a lower grade than most opioids, such as high grade morphine or oxycodone. However, the drug is a controlled and illegal substance, and a misuse of the drug can lead to an overdose.
While doctors and pharmacists usually prescribe the drug for treating opioid abuse, peer reviewed research from medical experts in Medical News Today has suggested that Suboxone can also be abused.
“Suboxone has opioid effects, and long-term use can lead to physical and psychological dependence,” Pharmacists Victor Nguyen and Alex Brewer told Medical News Today in 2022. “Suboxone dependence can cause drug-craving and drug seeking behavior.”
