Two former Mississippi Department of Corrections officials have each been sentenced to 30 years in prison for smuggling methamphetamine and synthetic marijuana into a state prison.
John K. Bramlett, Jr., District Attorney for Madison and Rankin Counties, stated that Somalia Moneisha Funchess, 30, of Magee, and Aaliyah Keyonna Reid, 26, of Carthage, pled guilty to narcotics trafficking charges, settling both cases without going to trial.
According to the MDOC Corrections Investigation Division (CID), the pair conspired on September 14, 2024, to sneak a significant amount of contraband into the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.
According to officials, Reid and Funchess concealed the pills, smuggled them inside the institution, and Reid placed them in a trash bag before giving them to an inmate. Prison officers intercepted the bag before it could be distributed.
The Mississippi Forensics Laboratory determined that the shipments contained methamphetamine and MDMB-4en-PINACA, a Schedule I synthetic cannabis also known as “Spice.”
Both ladies admitted to accepting payments to bring the drugs inside: Funchess was paid $500, and Reid received $400.
Funchess pled guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to transmit 10 grams or more but not more than 30 grams. Reid pled guilty to possessing MDMB-4en-PINACA with the purpose to transmit 10 grams or more but not more than 30 grams.
Both were sentenced to 30 years in the custody of the MDOC, the organization for which they previously worked.
“For a few hundred dollars, these two correctional officers used positions of trust to bring dangerous drugs behind prison walls,” Bramlett said. “These were not safe chemicals. Methamphetamine and Spice can cause significant damage and death, and their acts endanger the safety and security of both inmates and correctional officials.
MDOC CID Director Steven Maxwell noted that contraband impedes rehabilitation and jail security.
“Through strong partnerships with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, CID will continue to identify, investigate, and hold accountable those who compromise the safety and integrity of Mississippi’s correctional system,” Maxwell stated.
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