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From U.S. Attorney Michael Easley / Eastern District of North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. –– A federal inmate was sentenced on Tuesday to 18 months for attempting to introduce contraband, specifically Buprenorphine, a schedule III controlled dangerous substance, into the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina (“FCI Butner II”).

According to court documents, Malcolm Hird, 33, instructed a visitor to bring the Buprenorphine to FCI Butner II during a scheduled visit with him.  Hird utilized phone calls and coded speech to instruct the visitor on how to successfully bring and transfer the contraband to him during the institution visit.  The visitor, Hird’s co-defendant in this matter, did as instructed; however, she was intercepted by Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) investigators before being able to transfer the contraband.  Following a search of her person, BOP staff uncovered a green balloon filled with a substance that later tested positive as Buprenorphine.

Hird pled guilty on May 12, 2021, to a Criminal Information charging him with attempting to obtain a prohibited object, to wit: Buprenorphine, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1791(a)(2) and (b)(1).

Michael Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced Hird. The Federal Bureau of Prisons investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mallory Brooks Storus prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:19-CR-00427-FL.