A corrections officer at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Lino Lakes was arrested this week after authorities say he tried to walk into the prison carrying nine sheets of beading paper that were being tested for drugs, part of a scheme investigators say he agreed to for $2,000. Minu Yang, 27, of St. Paul, was taken into custody on Monday after scanning his own work badge to enter a secured area, where officers were waiting.
According to kstp.com, investigators were tipped off on Oct. 19 about an alleged ongoing conspiracy to smuggle controlled substances into the facility. The tip set off a joint investigation involving the Department of Corrections Office of Special Investigations, the Lino Lakes Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the station reported.
Authorities allege that an incarcerated inmate, the inmate’s mother and Yang coordinated a plan to bring drugs into the prison, according to the same report from kstp.com. Investigators say they learned from a recorded phone call that the plan was for Yang to soak the drugs onto nine sheets of beading paper and carry them inside, with the delivery expected on Oct. 26, as reported by fox9.com.
Arrest Came the Moment He Badged In
That Monday, Yang allegedly came to work with the nine sheets in hand. Fox 9 reports that officers placed him under arrest the moment he scanned his badge to enter the secured area, and a subsequent search turned up the nine sheets of beading paper matching the description from the recorded calls.
Yang allegedly told authorities he knew the papers would be laced with drugs and that he was set to receive $2,000 for bringing them into the prison, per the station's report. The suspected drug-infused papers were still being tested by authorities as of the charges being filed, according to that same account. A later search of Yang's apartment turned up an envelope matching the one allegedly used to send the drug-laced paper, Fox 9 reported.
Per fox9.com, Yang is reported to face one count of bringing or sending contraband into a state prison. Under Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, the law prohibits a person from introducing or causing the introduction of contraband into a jail, lockup or correctional facility without the consent of the person in charge, or from being found in possession of contraband inside one.
Guard Had Worked at Lino Lakes Since 2024
Yang began his employment with the Minnesota Department of Corrections on July 3, 2024, and was working as a Corrections Officer 2 at the Lino Lakes facility, kstp.com reported. The Minnesota Department of Corrections said Yang remains employed but is not assigned to work within a facility.
In a statement, the department said it takes action when allegations of criminal activity by staff arise and that it prioritizes the safety and security of its correctional facilities, according to kstp.com. The Minnesota Correctional Facility in Lino Lakes currently operates as a medium-security and minimum-security facility housing a population of 1,300 adult males, Fox 9 reported.
Smuggling attempts involving paper products have surfaced in Minnesota prisons before. Court records cited by the Minnesota House of Representatives describe a 2021 internal investigation into a corrections officer accused of spraying paper with K2 and mailing it to inmates, and a 2022 state investigation that found a food-service worker delivering THC gummies, ecstasy pills and other contraband. Similar cases have surfaced beyond Minnesota as well: in Florida, federal prosecutors indicted a correctional officer named Weston Burney on charges of receiving a bribe from a public official and providing contraband to a federal prisoner, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
