E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSForty people were arrested Wednesday in federal raids involving a meth and heroin ring allegedly run from an Indiana prison by two inmates with the help of corrections officers, authorities said.
The Indianapolis Star reported that the indictment alleges that the two inmates used cell phones to arrange drug deals with dealers in California. The charges include the distribution of methamphetamine, PCP, LSD and heroin.
Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter
The Associated Press reported the alleged ringleader is serving time for murder and attempted murder.
The indictment alleged the activity occurred at the Westville Correction Facility in northern Indiana and the Wabash Valley Correction Facility in southwestern Indiana, the AP said. It wasn't clear at which facility the two inmates alleged to be running the ring were being held.
The indictment alleges the corrections officers smuggled drugs and cell phones into the prison.
Seventeen of those arrested appeared in a federal courtroom in Indianapolis Wednesday. They were ordered held without bail after being deemed flight risks.
Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.com
One man had to be escorted out the courtroom after he appeared to be falling asleep or passing out in court.
Some of Wednesday's raids occurred outside the state, but a spokesperson for the FBI told the Star the focus of the investigation was in Indiana.
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Penn State ex-president Graham Spanier: Freeh report on sex scandal is wrong
- Monument to Civil War general, Ku Klux Klan leader triggers controversy
- Scalia: Judges should interpret words, not intent
- Video: Ex-nuclear missile silo for sale as home
- Mystery Michigan Powerball winner contacts lottery officials