Green Hill Inmate Accused of Conspiring With Guard to Smuggle Marijuana Into Facility
Lewis County WA May 8 2020
A Green Hill School inmate accused of conspiring with a security guard to smuggle marijuana and other items into the facility made his preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Tuesday, just three days before he was scheduled to be released from state custody.
Abdifatah A. Mohamed, 20, who had been serving time in Green Hill, a juvenile security facility, since 2015, was charged with two counts of conspiracy to deliver marijuana, second-degree introducing contraband and possession of a controlled substance by a prisoner.
Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello requested bail be set at $100,000.
“Mr. Mohamed appears to have been the head of that conspiracy, so given his involvement and the nature of the crime is our main concern,” Masiello said.
Mohamed’s attorney for the day, Rachael Tiller, asked for Mohamed to be released, arguing that it is peculiar that Mohamed was charged a few months after he was allegedly involved in the matter, and just days before his anticipated release date.
“For that reason, I am asking the court to please consider release today to give Mr. Mohamed an opportunity to go home, reside with his mom and return to court,” Tiller said.
Judge Andrew Toynbee settled between the two requests and set bail at $25,000.
“Looking at the criminal history that is available to me, I see — it is somewhat dated — but I see three robery in the first degrees from 2015 and I see an escape in the first degree from 2017, so I see some concerns for public safety and failure to appear,” Toynbee said.
According to the probable cause report, from 2019 to Feb. 26, 2020, Mohamed allegedly conspired with a Green Hill security officer to have marijuana, concentrated THC in vape cartridges, cellphones and lighters smuggled into the facility.
The alleged security officer was contacted by the Lewis County Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) on February 25 while he was driving to work and was found to be in possession of 43 grams of marijuana tied up in the fingers of latex gloves.
The same type of latex glove fingers containing marijuana were seized within the Green Hill facility.
The security officer allegedly admitted to receiving $5,000 for smuggling contraband into the facility.
The officer also allegedly assisted Jocelyn Vargas, 20, of Sunnyside, who was charged earlier this year with paying an officer to smuggle marijuana into the facility for her boyfriend.
Vargas made her first appearance on the charges in Lewis County Superior Court in March.
After JNET had contacted the security officer, he allowed them to do a full search of his cellphone, which came up with a text message correspondence between Mohamed and himself using “drug talk.”
According to the report, the text messages illustrate how Mohamed conspired with the security guard to possess marijuana and other contraband items while inside the Green Hill facility.
On February 26, a search of Mohamed’s cell was conducted and came up with an iPhone, an e-cigarette adaptor and an empty SIM card holder, among other items, according to the report.
Also, a Green Hill incident report from February 19 stated that on January 31, Mohamed came out of the shower smelling like marijuana. Staff searched the shower and found marijuana residue, according to the report.
Mohamed’s arraignment hearing is scheduled for May 14.
