Officer charged with attempting to smuggle drugs

GRACEVILLE — A correctional officer is facing charges after he was accused of attempting to introduce drugs into his workplace at Graceville Correctional Facility.

Jackson County authorities charged Brandon Sikora, 21, of Graceville, with attempting to introduce contraband into a secure facility and possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana with intent to distribute. He has also been placed on suspension from the correctional facility pending the outcome of an investigation, according to a Jackson County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Members of the drug task force arrested Sikora on Friday morning when he met with a police informant at McDonald’s on State 71 South in Marianna, as previously arranged by phone, deputies reported. The informant gave Sikora a half-pound of marijuana to smuggle into Graceville Correctional and paid him $2,000 to do so, according to the release.

The marijuana Sikora is accused of trying to smuggle into the secure facility is valued at $10,000 in the restricted environment, officials stated.

“Drugs are in high demand inside prisons and are considered to be extremely valuable to inmates. Many acts of violence that occur in prisons are a direct result of contraband,” according to a statement from the drug task force.

Authorities noted that correctional officers and staff, along with the Jackson County Drug Task Force, are working to identify and prosecute any and all corrections employees who may be involved with illegal smuggling, saying it “tarnishes the reputation of all corrections officers and endangers the inmates they have sworn to guard.”