ON LOCKDOWN

Loaded Gun Found Smuggled Into Jail Where Jeffrey Epstein Killed Himself

The search for the gun reportedly uncovered other contraband, leading to a criminal probe into guard misconduct.

Federal investigators found a loaded gun that was smuggled into the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, where accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was found dead last year. According to the Associated Press, the handgun was found on Thursday inside an MCC housing unit by Bureau of Prisons officers—but where the gun was found or how it was smuggled into the jail is unknown. Officials received information about a gun being snuck into the jail last week, prompting a lockdown to be put in place. The search for the gun uncovered other contraband—like cellphones, narcotics and homemade weapons—which reportedly led to an opening of a criminal investigation into guard misconduct. The jail remains on lockdown, and investigators will reportedly keep searching on Thursday night. Inmates have remained locked in their cells, without access to their attorneys or any visitors. This comes after Attorney General William Barr named a new director for the Bureau of Prisons after the agency came under intense scrutiny for Epstein’s death inside his jail cell.