Corrections officer pleads guilty to smuggling meth, pot into Georgia prison

Thursday - Oct 11, 2018

Tiffany Cook, a former Georgia Department of Corrections officer, pleaded guilty to being paid by a prison inmate to smuggle methamphetamine and marijuana into Hays State Prison.

“Georgia correctional officers serve every day, faithfully executing their duties with integrity,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “Cook, however, violated the oath of office she swore to uphold and the law when she smuggled drugs into prison.  She must now account for her betrayal of trust.”

“It is very troubling that a sworn officer is willing to sell her badge for a personal payoff, putting her fellow officers and inmates safety in jeopardy,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Cook not only betrayed the institution she was sworn to protect, but she also betrayed every hardworking corrections officer who upholds their oaths every day.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: On May 17, 2010, Cook began working with the GDC as a correctional officer. Beginning in April 2017, Cook served as a correctional officer at Hays State Prison. The facility opened in 1990 and currently holds approximately 1,680 male prisoners.

In early July, the GDC received information from an inmate that Cook was being paid to smuggle illegal drugs into the prison.  On July 9, Cook arrived at Hays State Prison to report for her regularly scheduled shift. As Cook approached the time clock, correctional officers asked Cook to walk into a conference room. Following the request, Cook stated that she felt ill and wanted to leave the prison. Correctional officers detained and ultimately searched Cook.

Pursuant to their search, correctional officers recovered more than 118 grams of actual methamphetamine (with a purity of 90%), and more than 150 grams marijuana from Cook’s vaginal cavity and bra. After seizing the methamphetamine and marijuana, correctional officers placed Cook under arrest.

Sentencing for Cook, 34, of Summerville, is scheduled for Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Harold L. Murphy.  Cook was charged in a criminal information with one count of possession, with intent to distribute, a controlled substance on Oct. 11.

This case is being investigated by the FBI and the Georgia Department of Corrections.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey W.  Davis, Chief of the Public Integrity and Special Matters Section, is prosecuting the case.