Former Norfolk correction officer among 5 charged in scheme to bring drugs into jail, sheriff says

DEDHAM, Mass. — Five people, including a former Norfolk County Correctional Center officer, two inmates at the Dedham facility, and two women are facing criminal charges in connection with a conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the jail, the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.

Saugus native Jean Guirand, a probationary correction officer who was hired in April after undergoing a “significant criminal background check, screenings, testings, and extensive training,” was fired on Aug. 2 after admitting to providing suboxone to two murder suspects housed at the facility just days earlier, Sheriff Patrick W. McDermott said during a news conference.

McDermott said his office launched an investigation into Guirand, 40, on Aug. 1 after receiving intelligence of alleged illegal activity.

“The Norfolk County Sheriff’s acted immediately after receiving the intelligence. That officer was confronted that day, before the start of his shift and he admitted to providing the narcotics to the offenders on Monday, July 29th,” McDermott said. “He was immediately placed on leave, escorted off the property, and terminated.”

Investigators found 238 strips of suboxone hidden in two pomade containers taken from the cells of the inmates, and according to McDermott, those strips have a value of about $47,600 in a correctional setting.

McDermott said investigators determined that five people were involved in the alleged drug conspiracy after conducting interviews and a review of surveillance video and phone calls.

The sheriff’s office filed criminal complaints in Dedham District Court in late August against Guirand, inmates Dante Clarke and Cornel Bell, and two women known to the men, Avelina Faustin and Amaya Rogers. They all face charges of drug conspiracy, delivering drugs to a correctional institution, and possession of Class B drugs with intent to distribute.

“This officer betrayed the honor of the men and women who serve with honesty and integrity as dedicated correction officers in Norfolk County,” McDermott stated. “We hold all staff to high standards. We strive to hire men and women of good character to ensure those who are hired by our agency and those entrusted to lead it are grounded in the foundation of our mission and values.”

Clarke and Bell are being held in connection with an investigation into a murder in Quincy in 2022, McDermott noted.

Guirand told investigators he initially declined to help but changed his mind when he was told by Clarke that he would be paid $5,000, according to McDermott. He also allegedly told them that he wasn’t coerced to help the offenders and was unsure why they recruited him.

McDermott said Rogers handed Guirand a Wendy’s bag filled with suboxone strips on the night of July 29. Guirand then allegedly concealed the drugs between some trash bags and brought them to Clarke inside the jail.

The investigation also revealed that Faustin had gained access to the narcotics at the direction of Clarke and Bell and that Faustin had given them to Rogers for drop-off, according to McDermott.

“The vast majority of the offenders that are here, whether waiting pre-trial or sentenced, are dealing with significant substance use disorder or mental health issues. The last thing we want to see is drugs being entered into this facility, especially when our number one role here at the sheriff’s office and our correctional facility is rehabilitation before these men go forward and back into their communities,” McDermott explained. “We take these charges very seriously. It’s truly a disappointment to watch a corrections officer who should have known better and was trained well.”

All five suspects have been summoned to appear in Dedham District Court in October.

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