Christopher Santana, a state correctional officer, is accused of taking bribes to smuggle tobacco and other contraband into Northern State Prison in Newark.
The New Jersey attorney general’s office reported Tuesday that a state correctional guard was arrested for allegedly accepting bribes to deliver tobacco and other contraband to individuals detained at Northern State Prison in Newark.
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Senior Correctional Officer Christopher Santana, 32, of Hackensack, has been accused of bribery in official and political matters, official misconduct, and contraband. Investigators with the state Office of Public Integrity and Accountability discovered that he reportedly took approximately $2,000 in bribes to bring contraband into the mixed-security lockup in a conspiracy that began in May 2024, according to the attorney general’s office.
The arrest comes as California Department of Corrections officials fight to control drug activity in prison, where multiple overdoses have resulted in wrongful death lawsuits and allegations of widespread drug smuggling. Last year, the agency implemented mail-scanning technology to deter those who spray synthetic marijuana, fentanyl, and other substances onto paper masquerading as mail.
According to Christopher Greeder, a department spokesman, Santana was suspended without pay pending his termination.
The investigators who charged Santana observed him arriving for his night shift on June 10 with “a large bulge” in his pants, according to the attorney general’s office. They searched him and found two vacuum-sealed bags containing suspected tobacco and three bottles of an unknown liquid beneath his safety vest and near his thigh, according to the office.
Investigators searched incarcerated people suspected of working with Santana on the smuggling plan and discovered a smartphone, suspected tobacco, suspected marijuana, and tablets considered to be illegal narcotics, according to the office. The contraband was seized.
“This type of behavior damages the public’s perception of the many hardworking, honest officers who every day do the difficult, essential work of overseeing correctional institutions across our state,” Attorney General Matt Platkin said in a statement.
Santana, who earns $70,630 per year according to payroll data, may face up to 25 years in prison and $315,000 in fines if convicted.
