UTAH COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 25, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A West Valley City woman has been arrested after she allegedly attempted to send Suboxone to an inmate in Utah County.
A probable cause statement from Utah County said Nancy Marie Florez, 52, is facing three counts of provide/sell items to offender in correctional facility, a second-degree felony.
On Thursday, the arresting officer was contacted by the Utah County Jail regarding mail items that had been sent to an inmate, the statement said. The jail mail room had allegedly located three articles of U.S Mail which had Suboxone strips hidden inside the envelope. Suboxone is used to treat opioid addiction, and contains buprenoprhine, which is an opioid.
Detectives with the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force reviewed phone calls between the intended recipient inmate and the sender, who was later identified as Florez.
“On the phone calls, the inmate and Nancy speak cryptically about the mail articles and Nancy states: ‘there are some implants in them.’ The inmate asks Nancy if she used ‘cards’ and Nancy told him yes,” the statement said. “The mail items were greetings cards packaged in orange envelopes.”
Florez is currently on felony probation and is supervised by the Utah Department of Corrections’ Adult Probation and Parole.
Detectives contacted Adult Probation and Parole and advised agents of the information that had been discovered, the statement said. Detectives from the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force assisted Adult Probation and Parole with a home visit to Florez’ address.
“Adult Probation and Parole agents entered into the home when Nancy answered the door and advised that they had discovered drug paraphernalia in plain sight,” the statement said. “The item was a glass pipe with black residue that was congruent in appearance and smell with the resin or ash of burnt marijuana.”
Agents also said there was a “strong and distinct odor of freshly burned marijuana” when they entered the home.
As condition of Florez’ probation, she is required to submit to searches of her person, property, and anything in her control including vehicles and electronics. The arresting officer from Utah County Sheriff’s Office allegedly observed content on her phone from Thursday about marijuana and paraphernalia use.
Detectives from the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force submitted an affidavit seeking a search warrant for Florez’ home due to the paraphernalia and content of the phone. Following approval of a search warrant, detectives allegedly located marijuana, paraphernalia, Suboxone strips, a digital electronic scale, envelopes matching those sent to the jail, and a paper with handwriting that matched the writing on the envelopes.
Florez was read her Miranda rights, and told officers she felt bad for the inmate, saying he was sick and withdrawing so she sent in three greeting cards with Suboxone to the Utah County Jail through the U.S. Mail system. She stated that the Suboxone belonged to the inmate and was prescribed to him.
Adult Probation and Parole told Utah County Sheriff’s Office officers that Florez is currently on probation because she allegedly smuggled prohibited items into a correctional facility previously. Florez told officers she had been charged because she had smuggled Xanax into the Cache County Jail in August 2018. Adult Probation and Parole issued a hold on Florez for violating her probation.
She was transported to Utah County Jail, where she is being held without bail.
