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FALL RIVER — The former Bristol County jail librarian indicted in an alleged drug smuggling ring pleaded guilty last week to charges of delivering drugs to prisoners and conspiracy.
Ginger Hook, a New Bedford woman who worked for less than two years as the jail’s coordinator of library services, was indicted last fall. She was 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.
She is serving probation for two years, during which she may not possess drugs or commit other crimes. The court waived small fees she would have had to pay, noting it would cause financial hardship.
Amy McNamee, Hook’s attorney, in a statement Monday said Hook did not know the papers contained drugs, but “took full responsibility” by pleading guilty.
“She admitted to the court that she brought, what she believed was legal paperwork, into the Bristol County [House of Corrections] and Jail in Dartmouth, breaking the law,” McNamee wrote. “She did not at any time know or believe that drugs were involved. She regrets her actions and the violation of trust toward her employer and for violating the regulations of the Bristol County Sheriff’s Department and the law of this State.”
Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux said he was glad to hear Hook pleaded guilty.
“It was a clear case of her bringing contraband in for an inmate, and the evidence was pretty overwhelming,” he said. The pleading “saves everybody a lot of time, aggravation and money of going to a trial.”
Heroux thanked his office’s special investigations unit and its lead investigator, Capt. Christine Fortin, for their work on the case, as well as Massachusetts State Police and the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.
Three of Hook’s alleged co-conspirators were inmate Joseph “JD” Housley, and former inmates Brandin Barbosa-Mayo and Bestlee Vazquez. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Housley sold the drugs to fellow inmates on a regular basis.
A fifth individual, Axel Hazard of Rhode Island, was also charged as a co-conspirator.
Vazquez last month pleaded guilty to conspiracy, a felony, and was sentenced to three years in state prison.
The cases for the other co-conspirators are pending, but Hazard is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday for a change of plea hearing.
The Bristol County DA’s Office said it would not comment on Hook’s case because it was handled by a special assistant district attorney.
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 DA’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.
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.
