Inmate at USP Lee going on trial for contraband charges

An inmate at a federal prison in Southwest Virginia goes on trial next month on charges of smuggling contraband into the facility.

Robert Barnes was indicted in October on four counts of introducing and possessing illegal drugs inside the US Penitentiary located in Lee County. The drugs, including heroin and meth, were discovered when Barnes was found unconscious inside the facility’s library and later during a medical exam at a local hospital, according to court documents.

Barnes court date is set for Dec. 5.

(PHOTO: US Dept. of Justice / Federal Bureau of Prisons)