Woman accused of attempting to smuggle drugs into prison

A Philadelphia woman is facing charges after allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into Houtzdale state prison.

Nateycha Lasha Mitchell, 24, was charged with manufacture/delivery/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, contraband/controlled substance and intentional possession of a controlled substance by person not registered by state police in August. A bench warrant was issued for her arrest after she failed to appear for her scheduled preliminary hearing Wednesday in Clearfield County.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Mitchell and an inmate had a phone discussion regarding her bringing balloons to give to him during an upcoming visit. When she arrived Dec. 29 at the prison, she was questioned. She admitted she had balloons hidden in her vagina, but said she did not know what kind of drugs were in them. She provided the balloons to investigators.

There were a total of 98 strips of Suboxone hidden inside the balloons, police said.

This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 12:03 AM with the headline "Woman accused of attempting to smuggle drugs into prison."