Grandmother Smuggled $12K Of Illegal Drugs In Her Vagina To Prison

A 62-year-old mother and grandmother is facing felony charges after attempting to smuggle illegal drugs to her incarcerated son by way of her vaginal cavity and under her breasts. This was discovered during a routine search of visitors at the Canadian prison where the woman attempted to get the drugs to her son.

Linda Ethal Sheridan came to the Edmonton Institution with her 10-year-old granddaughter to visit her son who is serving time for home invasion. During a routine search, a drug-sniffing dog detected drugs on her, according to Cosmopolitan. It is unknown at this time if the 10-year-old granddaughter is the child of the incarcerated man nor if the child was aware that the grandmother had illegal drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana in plastic baggies that were stuffed into her vaginal canal.

Instances like this are not extremely rare, but rather rare for a woman of Sheridan’s age. This particular form of drug smuggling can prove to be physically dangerous, perhaps particularly to an older woman. The female vagina is highly vascular and filled with mucosal membranes that any type of substance can be readily be absorbed through and into the woman’s bloodstream, likely resulting in an overdose that could harm or kill her. In addition, the older a woman becomes, the thinner her vaginal canal becomes due to a loss of estrogen during menopause. This means the trauma of inserting and removing drugs could easily tear her vaginal canal and harm her through bleeding, overdose or both.

Correctional officer Brandy Swenson says the elderly woman was mortified and anxious to remove the drugs from her body orifices once she was discovered. The drugs were removed intact in the bags without incident and the woman was not harmed. However, she is now facing serious felony charges, according to Cosmopolitan.

Sheridan says she was not asked to bring the drugs to prison by her son and that he did not know she was bringing then. The son also testified he had no idea his mother had drugs on her vagina or under her breasts or that she had planned to do such a thing. Sheridan claims the reason she decided to smuggle to drugs into the prison is because she was being harassed by unknown prisoners who warned they would harm her or her family if she did not bring them drugs. The prisoners who allegedly threatened her have not been named to the media, according to Swenson.

“She seemed embarrassed that this happened. She really wanted to remove the stuff from her body cavity.”

It is unknown whether medical care was sought or if other ways of smuggling drugs were discovered on the elderly lady, who quickly admitted to the crime and was very distraught. She stated that she should have known better, but feared for her life if she did not bring the drugs as requested. The criminal also told her she would have a dead son because they would kill her incarcerated son if she did not comply with their illicit demands. She appeared before a Canadian court to explain her poor decision, but felt she was blackmailed and had no power to make a different choice, according to The Huffington Post.

“I was afraid for my son. I didn’t want him to be killed in prison. I didn’t feel I had a choice in the matter.”

She said the phone call she received was “from a mysterious man” who claimed to be incarcerated with her son, Nathan Sheridan, who also apparently has a history of drug abuse. The powerful opiate hydromorphone was also found in the woman’s bra.

[Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images]