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MISSOULA, MONTANA
Two defendants — Rachel Leanna Ross, 25, of Collierville Tennessee, and Lauren J. Hoskins, 26, of Somerville, Tennessee — were arraigned in federal court last week on a six-count indictment charging them with drug dealing at the Montana State Prison, according to officials.
Ross and Hoskins were the fourth and fifth defendants to be arraigned under the indictment.
Three other defendants were arraigned on Tuesday and an additional defendant was arraigned last month under a separate indictment.
Both Ross and Hoskins were arraigned on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
From April to August last year, Ross and Hoskins, along with Ian Scott Barclay, 28, Cordero Robert Metzker and Erin Marie Bernhardt, 48, conspired to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and buprenophine at the state prison in Deer Lodge, according to court documents.
Court documents indicated that Barclay, a prisoner, arranged with Bernhardt, a prison employee, to smuggle the drugs into the facility. Metzker, Ross and Hoskins, under direction from Barclay, helped arrange for the meth to be delivered to Bernhardt’s home in Deer Lodge, according to documents.
Bernhardt, who worked in the prison laundry, then smuggled the drugs into the prison and gave them to Barclay, documents state. Barclay then distributed the drugs to prisoners.
Bernhardt was paid $3,000 by other members of the smuggling ring, according to documents. Documents indicated that Metzker, Ross and Hoskins collected the money from the distribution of meth and used it to bribe Bernhardt.
An additional 50 grams of meth was distributed through the jail between Aug. 9-14, 2015, court documents state.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.