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A grand jury has indicted five people on charges of conspiring to smuggle drugs into the Bristol County Jail and House of Correction and sell them to inmates. Key to their efforts was a jail librarian, whom investigators say smuggled drugs disguised as paperwork into the secure facility.

Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux said it is “perhaps the largest alleged employee drug bust” in the jail’s history. Investigators called it “Operation Fish Hook,” named after Ginger Hook, a 46-year-old New Bedford woman who worked for less than two years as the jail’s coordinator of library services. 

Hook is accused of sneaking in thousands of dollars worth of synthetic marijuana, known as K2, at least three times. The substance can be soaked into paper, which people tear up and smoke. Investigators say Hook smuggled K2-soaked papers that appeared to be legal documents.

Heroux said Hook was the only library employee at the time, and was responsible for hand-delivering books to inmates at their cells, since inmates are not allowed in the library. Heroux said he did not know whether Hook used books as a vessel to covertly transfer drugs to an inmate for selling. 

Three of her alleged co-conspirators were inmate Joseph “JD” Housley, and former inmates Brandin Barbosa-Mayo, 31, and Bestlee Vazquez, 33. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Housley, 25, sold the drugs to fellow inmates on a regular basis.

A fifth individual, Axel Hazard, 23, of Rhode Island, has also been charged as a co-conspirator. 

Hook joined the Sheriff’s Office in early 2024 and worked at the Dartmouth jail until she resigned in July, when investigators confronted her, according to Bristol County officials. Hook’s husband joined the department a bit earlier, in 2023, as a corrections officer. Heroux said Hook’s husband resigned shortly after Hook’s resignation, and that there was no evidence he was involved. 

The sheriff’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) started its investigation in March, working alongside Bristol County District Attorney and DEA officials.

The K2 was disguised as paperwork that Hook allegedly smuggled into the jail in late 2024 and February and March 2025, per investigators. They obtained information suggesting Hook planned to make another delivery of K2 in June.  

Upon searching a folder on Hook’s desk marked “Legal Work,” investigators found 13 sheets of paper. They tested the documents and found they were “infused with alleged synthetic marijuana,” per the Sheriff’s Office. Investigators valued the papers at $65,000 if they had been sold inside the jail.

The synthetic marijuana often comes in liquid form. People can soak or spray paper with the liquid. When the paper is dry, a user can tear off a piece and smoke it for the drug’s effects. Dangerous side effects include elevated heart rate and blood pressure, tremors, hallucinations, seizures, vomiting and anxiety. 

Drugs in jail a game of cat and mouse

Massachusetts jails have grappled with K2 for years. In 2019, WCVB found more than 1,000 incidents in jails involving the synthetic drug. 

At the Bristol County jail, correctional officers open inmate mail to make photocopies, which they provide to the inmates instead of the originals, in an effort to intercept drugs or drug-soaked papers. Heroux said the original mail goes into the inmate’s property bag, which they can retrieve when released. 

Heroux on Monday said he has “stepped up” efforts to keep drugs from entering the jail, including the addition of more K9 units and increased screening of people coming into the jail. He made similar remarks in 2023.

Just months after confronting Hook, the jail dealt with another breach, after a man allegedly tossed a package containing drugs over the Ash Street Jail wall. 

The Light reported in depth on the issue of drugs landing in local jails in 2023, finding that in the last decade, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office had filed criminal charges in 60 cases regarding the bringing of drugs or other contraband into a prison. 

Those cases involved drugs tossed over a jail wall, inmates, direct or contracted employees, and even kites with drugs attached to their lines. A lead investigator of the office’s SIU had told The Light that it’s a game of cat and mouse.  

Heroux said he could not share how many employees in recent years had engaged in criminal activity with inmates due to ongoing investigations. He said he’d like to prosecute every case of drug smuggling that they learn about, but that sometimes an employee resigns, or investigators do not gather enough evidence to proceed. 

Visitors, inmates, staff and mail are all possible sources of drug smuggling, and Heroux said the contraband poses a threat to health and safety. In 2022, a 35-year-old inmate awaiting trial in Dartmouth died of fentanyl poisoning. 

Demand for drugs is high in jail, where an estimated 75% of inmates require substance use disorder or other mental health services. Given the higher demand and restricted supply in the secure setting, an SIU investigator said jail is a “great place for a drug dealer to do business.” 

Heroux said he takes the recent selling price of K2 in the jail as evidence that his efforts to clamp down on the synthetic drug are working. Currently, a K2 sheet sells for about $5,000 in jail, up from $2,000 in 2023, Heroux said, citing information provided by inmates.

Outside of the jail walls, a sheet can go for as little as $20, Heroux said. 

“We have the same number of inmates… the supply goes down, the price goes up,” Heroux said. “It’s basic economics” and the “best indicator” the office has been effective. 

What’s next

A court clerk said the court’s online system returned no criminal history in Massachusetts for Hook other than last month’s indictment. Heroux said she passed a background check when hired and had no criminal history. 

A LinkedIn profile for Ginger Hook, which as of Monday afternoon was no longer available, listed her as the chef and owner of a Dartmouth-based catering business. 

Vazquez and Barbosa-Mayo each have a history of drug charges, per court records. In addition to his indictment on conspiracy, Housley was convicted last month of murdering his father in 2021. 

The five individuals were indicted by a grand jury on Oct. 20. They are set to appear again in Fall River District Court next month on different dates for their respective cases. Hook, Hazard, Vazquez and Barbosa-Mayo have pleaded not guilty. Housley has not yet been arraigned. 

Hook is facing two felony charges: delivering drugs to a prisoner and conspiracy. They carry prison time of up to five years and fines. The other defendants are only facing a charge of conspiracy, a felony. 

The Light contacted Hook’s attorney Monday afternoon for comment.

Special Assistant District Attorney Daniel Bennett has been assigned as prosecutor by the DA’s Office. 

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said in a statement that he was “pleased” to have collaborated on an investigation with the Sheriff’s Office that resulted in the indictments. A spokesperson for the office did not respond to follow-up questions. 

Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.