Lawyer charged with allegedly bringing drug-soaked legal paperwork into jail

A Georgia attorney is at the center of a criminal investigation that involved allegedly smuggling legal documents laced with a dangerous synthetic drug into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center in Georgia. (Image from Shutterstock)
A Georgia attorney is at the center of a criminal investigation that involved allegedly smuggling legal documents laced with a dangerous synthetic drug into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center in Georgia.
Joseph Anfield-El, a personal injury lawyer, is among four people facing charges resulting from a monthslong investigation by the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office MCS Narcotics Unit. During a visit to the jail, Anfield-El allegedly delivered papers disguised as legal documents and Muslim prayers to Shawn Harris, an incarcerated client.
K2, a synthetic cannabinoid, was later discovered to be soaked in the paperwork that the attorney left with Harris, which was distributed throughout the jail, according to coverage by WSB-TV Atlanta.
The district attorney’s office for the Cobb Judicial Circuit secured an indictment against Anfield-El and three other defendants. They are accused of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute, use of a facility to facilitate drug trafficking, and other charges.
Anfield-El’s office was contacted but did not comment for the article.
“He didn’t respect this facility, and in my mind, he didn’t service the clients,” Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens said. “Yeah, he serviced them, but not the way he should’ve been servicing them with legal services.”
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