Fentanyl legal letters flooded Camden County, NJ jail with drugs, prosecutors say

⚠️ Prosecutors charged 31 people after dismantling a drug trafficking operation tied to Camden County Jail.

📬 Investigators said drugs were smuggled inside fake legal letters mailed to inmates.

🔴 Authorities seized fentanyl, PCP, cocaine and synthetic cannabinoids during the eight-month investigation.

CAMDEN — Prosecutors say they've cracked a sophisticated drug ring in Camden County Jail.

On Tuesday, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office announced charges against 31 people, including inmates and others living free outside the jail walls. Authorities said it was the outcome of Operation Paper Trail, an investigation that spanned eight months and multiple counties.

Detectives said they seized seven ounces of fentanyl, 13 ounces of a synthetic cannabinoid, 3.6 ounces of a fentanyl-cannabinoid mix, 1.6 ounces of PCP, and more than one ounce of cocaine from Camden County jail inmates and their suppliers.

Fake legal mail allegedly smuggled drugs into the jail

The surface of how the ring operated was straightforward; prosecutors said suppliers on the outside sent the drugs in through the mail. However, the method could've easily gone under the radar. Investigators found that inmates were receiving fake legal letters that were laced with the illicit substances. The drugs were then collected and sold to other inmates for profit.

"The takedown of Operation Paper Trail disrupted a dangerous network responsible for distributing illicit substances and facilitating criminal activity," Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay said.

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Howard Dunns (Camden County Prosecutor's Office)

Prosecutors identify accused leaders of the operation

Prosecutors said one of the leaders of the drug ring was an inmate at a different facility: Cumberland County jail. Howard Dunns, 50, of Millville was accused of coordinating with an outside supplier to get the fentanyl and other drugs into Camden County jail. Dunns has a long rap sheet going back more than 20 years for various offenses, including multiple separate cases of burglary.

The outside supplier mailed the laced legal correspondence to two main inmates at Camden County jail, prosecutors said.

Wilfredo Santiago, 31, of Vineland, and Kyle Jones, 31, of Millville, were charged with second-degree conspiracy to possess drugs with intent to distribute. Dunns faces two counts of the same offense.

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