John Calhoun, 36, of Detroit, was arraigned before Magistrate Delphia Burton in the 36th District Court in Detroit on multiple felony counts for allegedly smuggling narcotics into the Michigan Department of Corrections facilities through the mail.
Three of those prisons that allegedly received the drugs are in the Upper Peninsula.
He was charged following an investigation by the MDOC, the Michigan State Police, and the Michigan Department of Attorney General. Calhoun has been charged with:
- One count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony;
- One count of Delivery/Manufacture of a Controlled Substance – Schedule 1 Narcotic, 50 to 449 grams, a 20-year felony;
- Eight counts of Delivery/Manufacture of a Controlled Substance – Schedule 1 Narcotic, < 50 grams, a 7-year felony; and
- Eight counts of Bringing Contraband into Prisons, a 5-year felony.
In 2024, several pieces of mail sent to inmates across the state were intercepted by the MDOC under suspicion that the mail contained narcotics.
It is alleged that Calhoun, who was charged as a Habitual 4th Offender and reportedly familiar with the way the MDOC handled mail, sent packages that appeared to be legal mail from an attorney but actually contained narcotics. These packages were allegedly sent to eight separate correctional facilities:
- Thumb Correctional Facility
- Muskegon Correctional Facility
- Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility
- Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility
- Oaks Correctional Facility
- Chippewa Correctional Facility
- Kinross Correctional Facility
- Baraga Correctional Facility
“Smuggling narcotics into correctional facilities threatens the safety and security of prison staff and inmates,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. “I am proud of the work my office did in partnership with MDOC and MSP to uncover this alleged scheme, and we remain committed to investigating and prosecuting those who attempt to traffic contraband into Michigan prisons.”
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