Texas woman sentenced to 6 years in prison for mailing inmates Bibles soaked with drugs

WICHITA FALLS, Texas — A Wichita Falls woman has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to mailing synthetic cannabinoids and other narcotics into facilities operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, authorities said.

According to a press release, Henna Havila Martinez admitted to concealing the drugs in Bibles, other religious materials, magazines, newspapers and legal mail before sending the packages to inmates in state custody.

Officials said the scheme was uncovered after staff at the Allred Unit identified leather-bound Bibles containing heavily saturated pages that later tested positive for synthetic cannabinoids. 

Investigators traced the packages to an Office Depot store in Wichita Falls, where surveillance footage showed Martinez using a self-checkout station to mail packages to inmates. Authorities said she was observed sending at least three packages containing a combined 360 grams of synthetic cannabinoids.

Authorities said when they later searched her home, they seized approximately 4.9 pounds of synthetic cannabinoids in various forms, including liquid, powder and paper sheets,

“This case underscores the persistent challenges we face in contraband entering our facilities through the mail,” Texas Department of Criminal Justice Executive Director Bobby Lumpkin said in a statement, crediting staff vigilance and investigators for stopping the drugs from reaching inmates.