CRIME

State prison officer charged with drug smuggling scheme

Carly Q. Romalino
The Courier-Post
David Cade, a corrections officer at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, was indicted on charges he schemed to smuggle drugs into the prison.

TRENTON - A New Jersey prison guard is suspended following an indictment that reads like a prison drama screenplay. 

David Cade, 53, was arrested in April immediately after making a transaction with a woman outside the prison — $1,000 in exchange for him smuggling oxycodone into the facility and providing her with several Suboxone strips, according to the state Attorney General's Office. 

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The exchange was set up by an inmate inside South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton where Cade worked as senior correctional police officer, according to charging documents. 

But the plot was sold out by a "confidential informant" at the Cumberland County prison, who allegedly told officials that Cade asked him if he'd be willing to pay for narcotics smuggled into the jail, the court records said. 

A state grand jury on Wednesday indicted Cade on charges of conspiracy, official misconduct, bribery in official matters, and acceptance of unlawful benefit by a public servant for official behavior. The Clayton man also is charged with distribution of Suboxone, which is an opioid, the attorney general's office said. 

Authorities allege Cade conspired in March and April with an inmate and a woman outside the prison, whom the attorney general's office did not name. The inmate allegedly agreed to pay Cade $1,000 to smuggle the pills to him. Cade also was allegedly asked to supply strips of Suboxone to the woman. 

On April 18, Cade reportedly met the woman, who gave him $1,000 and the 50 pills to be smuggled into the prison. Cade gave the woman 21 Suboxone strips, authorities said. 

State police arrested Cade immediately after the handoff and seized his service weapon, the attorney general's office said. 

Cade earned an annual salary of $83,000, according to pension records. 

His charges carry potential prison sentences, including five to 10 years for most of the offense, if convicted. Official misconduct and bribery charges include a five-year parole ineligibility period, according to the attorney general's office. 

“Cade’s alleged conduct not only jeopardized lives, it betrayed New Jersey’s law enforcement community and citizens alike, who rightfully demand that those entrusted to uphold the law are held to a higher standard,” said Col. Patrick Callahan of the New Jersey State Police. 

Carly Q. Romalino; @carlyqromalino; 856-486-2476; cromalino@gannettnj.com

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