Former Massachusetts state employee charged with smuggling K2 to federal inmate

A former employee with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has been accused of smuggling K -laced papers to a federal inmate Bridgewater woman Tasha Hammock is being charged with providing contraband to FMC Devens inmate Raymond Gaines who had been granted clemency by President Joe Biden in the final days of his term in January Gaines whose federal prison sentence for drug distribution had been cut has now been indicted by a federal grand jury with possessing contraband by a prison inmate K a synthetic cannabinoid has been a broadcasted strength matter at FMC Devens and other facilities Inmates have become sick from smoking paper assumed to contain K as well as prison staff who have been exposed to the secondary smoke Hammock was a activity coordinator with MassDEP where she took home more than in according to state payroll records According to the feds Hammock was visiting Gaines in the prison last Aug when she surreptitiously passed K -laced papers to Gaines which he pocketed Hammock also allegedly previously handled money connected with the distribution of K to Gaines in FMC Devens and she allegedly received K at her residence for distribution into the prison Court records allege that law enforcement obtained a phone that had been smuggled to an inmate in the prison Inmate A In September Inmate A allegedly sent messages on the cell phone to another person Person discussing obtaining K in prison Inmate A allegedly described Person that the drugs could be delivered to a particular address in Bridgewater later determined to be Hammock s residence and that Inmate A s co would arrange for the drugs to be brought into the prison from there Related Articles Boston City Councilors Secretary of State urge company to resolve trash strike Family demands answers on Haverhill man s death following struggle with police Massachusetts trash strike Greater Boston leaders say Republic Services is failing Massachusetts Eversource employee helps save horses in massive barn fire Natural instinct Lucas Call Trump gov Taxpayers need a break In Gaines was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking At the time he committed the offenses he was on federal supervised release after serving a prison sentence resulting from a conviction for distributing cocaine base within feet of a school In both prior cases Gaines was alleged to be an associate of the Orchard Park Trailblazers a street gang in Boston Then on Jan Gaines received an Executive Grant of Clemency reducing his current federal sentence to five years in prison