Rayburn Correctional Center officials arrested one of their own Thursday night for allegedly introducing contraband into a penal institution.

Sgt. Allen Magee, who had worked as a corrections officer at the prison since Sept. 23, 2013, allegedly had just over two strips of Suboxone on him when he reported for work at 5:30 p.m. Following an interview, Magee was arrested shortly after 6 p.m. and transported to the Washington Parish Jail in Franklinton. Magee, 35, was released Friday after posting $15,000 bond. He lives in nearby Angie.

Suboxone is similar to methadone, a substitute drug used for dependency on opiates. Magee allegedly had broken up the strips into five pieces.

“Suboxone is a drug that is easy to smuggle into the facility,” Rayburn Classification Director and Public Information Officer Lynn McCloud said. “Little strips are not like big packages. We had gotten information that he was bringing the drugs in. We stopped him when he reported for work and searched him. We found the drugs concealed.”

McCloud said the facility has a well-trained team whose priority is spot contraband entering the prison. The facility houses just over 1,300 inmates in pod- or dorm-like settings.

“We hate that it came down to that,” McCloud said. “It’s just a fact of working in corrections that employees bring in drugs to inmates. You’re always on the lookout for contraband when you work in a prison.”

McCloud said there are other items of contraband besides drugs that individuals often try and sneak into the facility.

“We have those issues with cellphones that you’ve been reading about. We’re trying to keep those from coming in.”

Rayburn is scheduled to be a smoke-free facility starting Jan. 15, 2015. Inmates are currently allowed to smoke cigarettes in the prison yard.

“Tobacco is probably another thing that is going to be an issue,” McCloud said. “Inmates can’t smoke in the cellblocks now. We’re going to expand that to the entire prison on Jan. 15. We will be completely smoke-free.”