A 31-year-old corrections officer at the Jackson County Detention Facility was arrested as he showed up for his shift on Oct. 16, accused of agreeing to smuggle LSD-soaked papers to an inmate inside the jail. Jeremy Z. Mfundu, of Raytown, had worked at the facility for two years before investigators say he was caught on recordings arranging the exchange.
Charges Stem From Weeks-Long Investigation
Mfundu is charged with delivery of a prohibited article into jail, according to both KSHB and KCTV5. The two outlets differ on the second count: KSHB reports it as conspiracy to commit delivery of a controlled substance, while KCTV5 describes it as attempted distribution of a controlled substance inside the jail. As reported by the Kansas City Star, Mfundu faces up to 15 years in prison on the delivery charge and up to 10 years on the conspiracy charge if convicted.
The case traces back to July, when the Jackson County Sheriff's Office received information about suspected contraband, including illegal narcotics, entering the detention center. Sheriff Darryl Forté requested help from the Jackson County Drug Task Force, an outside law enforcement agency, to investigate. The task force then received a tip on Sept. 30 about attempts by inmates to introduce a controlled substance into the facility at 7000 E. U.S. 40, the same complex Jackson County moved detainees to in early May 2026, near U.S. 40 and Interstate 70.
Recorded Calls and a Vehicle Search
According to the Star's report, a confidential informant told investigators an inmate had provided a phone number and instructed the informant to call it between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Oct. 15 — a number investigators say was associated with Mfundu. Detectives recorded the resulting phone conversation between the informant and Mfundu, in which he said he would meet the informant at a Kansas City home to pick up paperwork for the inmate.
During that exchange, detectives documented the interaction with photographs, video and a listening device, and they say Mfundu verbally confirmed he knew what the papers were and who would receive them. The informant had obtained two sheets of paper saturated with LSD meant to be smuggled into the jail, and investigators later recovered two pieces of paper that tested presumptively positive for the drug. The informant later contacted the person in custody and confirmed that Mfundu had the papers.
What Mfundu Told Investigators
Court documents, as cited in the Star's reporting, say Mfundu agreed at the Kansas City home to collect more papers for money on another date, then carried the folded papers away and took them to a home in Blue Springs. Investigators later found the papers in his vehicle. Per that same account, Mfundu admitted he knew the papers were contraband but said he did not know exactly what they were — an account that, per KCTV5's reporting, lines up with his statement that he knew they were contraband without knowing precisely what substance was involved. Mfundu also allegedly admitted to providing his cellphone number to an inmate and arranging to pick up and smuggle the papers into the jail.
Jackson County deputies arrested Mfundu when he arrived for his scheduled shift on Oct. 16. He is being held on a $50,000 secured bond in an adjoining area detention facility, according to KSHB's report. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office has placed him on unpaid leave pending further administrative action.
Sheriff Vows Accountability
Sheriff Forté said the office would investigate credible misconduct allegations to maintain public trust, adding that employees who engage in unlawful conduct may face prosecution and termination as appropriate. “No employee is above the law,” he said, per KSHB's report.
Under Missouri law, a person may not knowingly deliver, attempt to deliver, possess, deposit or conceal prohibited items in or around a county or private jail or other county correctional facility, according to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes. The allegations against Mfundu arrive amid similar cases elsewhere in the country; FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul reported this month that a Minnesota Department of Corrections employee was charged in an alleged scheme to smuggle drugs into the Lino Lakes adult facility.
