A Pittsburgh woman is facing charges after police say she tried to bring synthetic cannabinoids to an inmate visit at a Huntingdon County state correctional facility.
Jasmine Samtera Gaines, 28, was arrested about two weeks ago on multiple felony charges, including carrying contraband into a jail for an inmate and possession with the intent to deliver, when officers discovered an effort to smuggle in a controlled substance during an inmate call.
According to a criminal complaint, security personnel at SCI Smithfield reported a pending visit between Gaines and an inmate to the state’s Department of Corrections Bureau of Investigations and Intelligence in May 2026 after previous calls allegedly alerted them to Gaines’ intent to bring in contraband during the visit.
As Gaines entered the prison, security personnel reportedly invited her to engage in a K9 air-scan, which detected an odor of illegal narcotics on her. Officers then escorted her to a room, the document states, and ordered her to remove any contraband from her person, which Gaines initially denied having. After being asked if she showed the contraband, she was allowed to leave; Gaines apparently revealed to law authorities that she was holding the contraband on her body.
Officers returned to Gaines after allowing her to remove the object while alone in a conference room, and she was purportedly carrying something in her palm, which was subsequently discovered to be a small white bit of a balloon wrapped in a knot before being led out of SCI Smithfield and permitted to depart.
According to the complaint, there was a piece of paper within the balloon that appeared to be saturated with some material, and additional testing revealed that the paper contained synthetic cannabinoids.
During her September 18 arraignment, Gaines’ bail was set at 10% of $100,000, and she was able to post it just days later.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 28, according to court documents.
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