Correctional officers at Baraga Correctional Facility caught a prisoner collecting a decoy package after discovering hidden drugs, prompting a months-long investigation into an alleged smuggling plot, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) announced Wednesday, Oct. 7 that the investigation has implicated several people, including a Muskegon woman, additional prisoners and multiple known associates.

The case began Jan. 18 when a woman arrived at the high-security Upper Peninsula prison claiming she had a scheduled visit with an incarcerated man. Staff confirmed no visit was on the books. The woman used the lobby restroom and left.

Officers, suspicious of her behavior, searched the restroom and found a package containing K2, high-potency THC wax and Suboxone strips.

After removing the drugs, inspectors and officers built a decoy package and placed it back in the restroom. The next morning, a prisoner porter collecting the package attempted to conceal it. Staff apprehended him immediately.

MDOC Intelligence Operations opened an investigation and referred the case to the Michigan State Police (MSP). Over several months, investigators determined the operation was more sophisticated than a single smuggling attempt.

"When contraband drugs enter MDOC facilities, the effects are detrimental. … We remain dedicated to detecting and stopping it from entering facilities in every instance, as the team at AMF used their vigilance and expertise to uncover this plot," MDOC Director Heidi Washington said in the announcement.

Washington said she is confident those implicated will be held accountable through the department's collaboration with MSP.

The department has not released the names of any suspects, citing safety and security concerns. The case remains under investigation, and MDOC’s announcement did not identify any charges.

The case follows another alleged smuggling operation that also involved Baraga. In August, a Detroit man named John Calhoun was charged with multiple felonies for allegedly sending narcotics disguised as legal mail to eight MDOC facilities, including Baraga, according to the Michigan Attorney General’s office. In an Aug. 18 statement about the Calhoun case, Washington said the department would seek prosecution in every smuggling attempt.

As of August, the state reported stopping more than 100 contraband incidents at MDOC facilities since the beginning of 2026, according to the Michigan Attorney General's office. The department launched its Safe Prisons Initiative in March, which includes new body scanners, package scanners and changes to legal mail policies across the state's 26 prisons.

Anyone with information about contraband smuggling into Michigan correctional facilities can contact the Michigan State Police or the MDOC.