Two Westmoreland County Prison inmates are accused of having cocaine hidden in their cell, according to court papers.
Antjuan D. Smith, 39, of Oklahoma Borough, and Thomas M. Moore II, 33, of Unity, are charged by Westmoreland County detectives with contraband and drug possession.
Investigators said another inmate at the Hempfield jail reported to officials there in October that cocaine was being sold for $50 by one of the cell mates. When jail guards searched the cell, they reported finding a lighter and three plastic bags containing what was later determined to be about 1.5 grams of cocaine, according to court papers.
The items were hid inside a lotion bottle and jelly jar that authorities said Smith purchased from commissary, investigators said. Smith told authorities the drugs and lighter belonged to Moore, who police said refused to provide a statement. Smith claimed in a statement that he purchased the items in an agreement with his cell mate so Moore could hide the lighter and drugs inside the containers.
Smith was arraigned Friday and is being held on $50,000 bail. Moore has not been arraigned.
Smith has been held at the jail since October on aggravated assault charges stemming from an incident in Vandergrift in which he is accused of biting a police officer. Moore was lodged at the jail in October on a bench warrant in a drug paraphernalia case, according to online court records.
