Northern NJ man charged with smuggling drugs into jail

Somerset County authorities say a 21-year-old central New Jersey man has been arrested for bringing drugs into jail after five inmates possibly overdosed. Sheriff Frank Provenzano says Renato Escobar

News 12 Staff

Jul 30, 2015, 9:09 PM

Updated 3,284 days ago

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Somerset County authorities say a 21-year-old central New Jersey man has been arrested for bringing drugs into jail after five inmates possibly overdosed.
Sheriff Frank Provenzano says Renato Escobar of Bridgewater transported a version of synthetic marijuana, known as "K2," into the Somerset County Jail using his anal cavity.
The sheriff says five inmates had to be hospitalized after showing signs of a drug overdose.
Escobar was arrested Tuesday after interviews with witnesses in the Somerville jail.
It is unclear how Escobar was connected to the jail or why he was there.
Provenzano says Escobar has been charged with distributing a synthetic cannabinoid. His bail is set at $20,000 cash.
It wasn't immediately known if Escobar had an attorney who could comment on the charges.


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