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3 charged after heroin smuggled into Duval County jail

3 female inmates survived overdosing on drugs, sheriff says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A day after police announced that three female inmates at the Duval County jail had survived possible heroin overdoses, three women were charged with distributing the drug and introducing contraband to the jail.

Because of health privacy laws, police could not confirm if the women charged were also the women who overdosed.

Monique Hibbert, 26, who is six months pregnant; Cassandra Spencer, 32; and Carlisa Alston, 28, are all facing charges after an investigation that began June 6.

According to their arrest reports, a female inmate illegally introduced narcotics to the jail, and Spencer and Alston got a hold of the drugs. Spencer then distributed the drugs in the jail, police said. Hibbert's involvement is unclear, but she is facing the same charges as the other two women.

Sheriff Mike Williams said his investigators are looking into how the drugs were smuggled into the jail.

The women who overdosed were taken Tuesday to UF Health Jacksonville, where they were recovering as of Thursday evening.

News4Jax learned Spencer has been in jail since Nov. 16, after she was charged with failing to appear in court on charges of grand theft and possession of an anti-shoplifting device. She has dozens of arrests dating back to 2003.

Hibbert has been in jail since Jan. 24, after she was charged with failing to appear on charges of grand theft and resisting police. She has multiple arrests dating back to 2009.

Alston has been in jail since May 13 on charges of aggravated battery, petty theft and assaulting a police officer.