Woman accused of smuggling drugs to inmate waives hearing

A Philadelphia woman is facing felony drug charges for passing balloons filled with drugs to a state prison inmate.

Tarika Monay Butler Murray, 22, was charged by state police on Dec. 12 with felony counts of manufacture/delivery/possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and contraband/controlled substance, as well as a misdemeanor count of intentional possession of a controlled substance. The charges stem from an incident at the state prison in Houtzdale on April 25, 2016.

Murray waived her right to a preliminary hearing on Wednesday during centralized court in Clearfield County. Her bail was set at $5,000, unsecured.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, a corrections officer saw Murray pass several small balloons that contained suspected contraband to an inmate. When Murray was stopped by the CO, she reportedly removed a bag with 12 more balloons from her bra.

In an interview with police, Murray allegedly confessed to placing six balloons inside a taco chip bag and giving it to the inmate.

The inmate was reportedly found to have three balloons in his hand when he was taken from the visiting room. He was placed in a dry cell. A few days later he gave a CO three more balloons, police said.

Two of the balloons contained a total of 45 strips of suboxone and the other four had a green leafy substance suspected to be marijuana, according to the report.

No charges have been filed against the inmate yet, according to court documents.

This story was originally published January 19, 2018 at 6:30 PM with the headline "Woman accused of smuggling drugs to inmate waives hearing."