Prison meth ring: guards implicated in Indiana prison drug scandal, 40 charged

A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday says that prison guards helped coordinate a methamphetamine ring in at least two Indiana prisons, the Associated Press reported.

The inmate-run ring also coordinated purchases of heroin, PCP and acid from California and Chicago that were shipped to Indiana, TheIndyChannel.com reported.

Forty people have been charged in connection with the scandal, which involved at least three inmates, the AP reported. Oscar Perez, the alleged ringleader, is serving time for murder and attempted murder. Perez is alleged to have coordinated the illegal activity using cellphones and drugs smuggled in by corrections officers, according to the AP.

"At least 17 people appeared in court Wednesday in Indianapolis after about 300 FBI agents fanned out across the state and made arrests," the AP wrote. The defendants, believed to be flight risks, are in custody.

The case isn't the only of its kind. Earlier this month, New Jersey authorities nabbed 30 alleged members of a drug trafficking network operating from within a state prison, the Record reported.