Queens Guard Admits To Smuggling Weed Into Manhattan Jail: Feds

JAMAICA, QUEENS -- A veteran New York City corrections officer faces time on the other side of his prison bars after he admitted to smuggling weed into a Manhattan jail, federal prosecutors said.

Christian Mizell, 48, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to his part in a bribery conspiracy to smuggle marijuana and other contraband into the Manhattan Detention Complex, said U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue.

The Jamaica, Queens man was caught last July trying to smuggle "three large bundles" of marijuana into the jail on White Street near Chinatown, where he and other guards planned to sell it for thousands of dollars, according to the indictment.

Mizell was arrested by the jail's front gates on July 30, 2017, court records show. Text messages and phone calls between him and other guards revealed they planned to sell the 6 ounces of pot for $6,000 to inmates inside the detention center, according to the criminal complaint.

Mizell, who joined the NYC Department of Corrections in 2005, earned $112,725 in 2017, city records show.

After pleading guilty to bribery conspiracy in a Brooklyn federal court, Mizell faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

His sentencing is set for Oct. 3.

(Lead image: The Manhattan Detention Complex at 125 White Street. Photo via Google Maps/December 2017)