A former Worcester County correctional officer is facing felony drug charges after investigators say he smuggled Suboxone into the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction in West Boylston. Nevin Daniel Robles is also facing separate firearm charges tied to a September incident, and he is expected in court Friday to answer for both.
Robles faces conspiracy to violate drug laws, possession with intent to distribute a Class B substance, and delivering drugs or other prohibited articles to a prisoner, according to court filings obtained by Boston 25 News. The alleged offenses occurred at the West Boylston facility around Sept. 1, and Robles is expected to appear in Clinton District Court on Friday, court officials confirmed to the outlet.
Suboxone is classified as a Class B controlled substance in Massachusetts, and under state law, possession with intent to distribute a Class B substance may be punished by up to 10 years in state prison or two and a half years in a house of correction, a fine of $1,000 to $10,000, or both imprisonment and a fine, according to FindLaw. Separately, delivering drugs or prohibited articles to a prisoner without authorization is punishable by up to five years in state prison, up to two years in a house of correction, or a fine of up to $1,000, per the Hampshire County Sheriff's Office, which outlines the statute's maximum penalties.
Surveillance Led Investigators to Robles
Worcester County Sheriff's Office Superintendent Jason Rives said investigators used video and electronic surveillance during the probe into the alleged Suboxone introduction. The investigation included video and electronic surveillance.
“Correctional facilities face constant challenges preventing contraband from entering,” Rives said, adding that the sheriff's office remains vigilant in identifying potential threats and acting swiftly to protect the safety and security of the facility. He said bringing contraband into the facility creates safety risks for both staff and inmates.
Rives said investigators believe Robles introduced an illicit substance into the facility and, in doing so, betrayed the trust of the community and the sheriff's office. The drug-related charges against Robles include two felonies and one misdemeanor.
Separate Firearm Charges Stem From September Incident
Robles also faces two misdemeanor firearm charges — leaving a firearm in a vehicle and improper firearm storage — stemming from a separate alleged offense on Sept. 12 in West Boylston. Under Massachusetts law, storing an unsecured firearm in an unoccupied vehicle or failing to keep a firearm secured in a locked container when not under direct control is punishable by up to one and a half years in a house of correction and fines ranging from $1,000 to $7,500, according to Justia Law.
The Worcester County Jail and House of Correction, built in 1973, houses approximately 1,000 pretrial detainees and sentenced inmates serving terms up to two and a half years, and employs more than 500 staff members, according to the Worcester County Sheriff's Office. The facility has invested heavily in recent years to combat addiction behind bars, completing a $26 million, 32,000-square-foot medical and regional intake building in June 2021 designed for centralized intake, medical evaluations and substance detoxification. In June 2023, the office also opened a dedicated space for its Substance Treatment Opportunity Program, physically separating inmates undergoing addiction recovery from the general population — infrastructure that underscores why the alleged introduction of an illicit opioid carries particular weight at the facility.
A Pattern Playing Out Across Massachusetts
Robles's case closely mirrors an arrest in Essex County less than a month earlier. On Sept. 17, an Essex County Sheriff's Department correctional officer was arraigned in Salem District Court on charges including conspiracy and delivering drugs to a prisoner, after allegedly attempting to smuggle synthetic cannabinoid-soaked paper into the Middleton Jail and House of Correction, according to the Office of Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker. Hoodline covered that case in a guard smuggling arraignment last month.
Clinton District Court, located at 300 Boylston Street, holds territorial jurisdiction over criminal matters from eight central Massachusetts communities, including West Boylston, Clinton, Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Harvard, Lancaster and Sterling, according to Mass.gov, which is why Robles's case is being heard there rather than in Worcester District Court. Whether Robles acted independently or in coordination with specific inmates or outside suppliers remains unclear, and that question may come into focus when he appears in court Friday. The investigation is ongoing.
