Sheriff Pope’s Message of the Week on Friday, March 27, 2026

Lyon County NV – March 27, 2026

Message of the Week 03/27/2026

In corrections facilities across the country, there has been a rise in overdose deaths, from illegal substances being sent in the mail to inmates. Inmates are receiving paper letters soaked in illegal substances, including Fentanyl, suboxone, LSD, methamphetamine, cocaine, and synthetic cannabinoid products. Inmates then smoke, eat, or dissolve the substance in liquid and ingest it.

Leaders in our detention facility were forward-thinking and worked to solve the issue in our jail before it became a problem. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office partners with NCIC an inmate communications company. Since 2023, NCIC has provided indestructible tablets that allow inmates to read their mail digitally.

The only paper mail allowed into the facility is legal mail, which is correspondence between law firms and inmates. Legal mail is scrutinized, and jail staff have identified fake legal mail that contained illegal substances in the past. This mail has been taken as evidence, and criminal investigations into the sender were started.

Knowingly furnishing a state prisoner with a controlled substance is a serious crime under Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 212.160. Bringing drugs into a correctional facility in Nevada is a category B felony for anyone not authorized by law to furnish a state prisoner with a controlled substance. The offense is punishable by imprisonment and significant fines.

Category B Felony:

Imprisonment: 1 to 6 years in prison.

Fines: Up to $5,000 in fines (at the judge’s discretion).

Note that this is separate from the charge an inmate would face for possessing drugs, which is a category D felony punishable by 1 to 4 years in prison.

Scope of the Law:

The law broadly defines the act of furnishing drugs to a prisoner.

It is unlawful to knowingly furnish, attempt to furnish, or aid or assist in furnishing a prisoner with any controlled substance.

It is also a crime to knowingly leave or cause to be left any controlled substance where it may be obtained by a prisoner.

The statute applies regardless of where the transfer occurs, including within the correctional facility, a courthouse, or a prison bus.

Posted signs at the entrances of facilities warn all persons that they and their vehicles are subject to search and that violators will be prosecuted.

Both prescription drugs and medical marijuana are considered controlled substances under this law, unless a person is specifically authorized to handle them.

Through partnership and forward-thinking, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office has been able to reduce the opportunities to get illegal substances into our detention facility. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office will remain vigilant in keeping illegal substances out!