Four people, including attorney Joseph Anfield-El, have been indicted in an alleged scheme to smuggle paper infused with the synthetic cannabinoid K2 into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center through confidential attorney visits.
The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office investigation, detailed by 11Alive, identified Anfield-El, 47; detainee Shawn Harris, 25; former detainee James Baltimore, 36; and Monae Muhammad, 29. Authorities said a deputy became suspicious after seeing an attorney bring paperwork into a visit but leave without it. Investigators allege the paper contained K2 and was later distributed inside the jail.
A July 9 Cobb County grand jury indictment alleges the operation ran from February through November 2025. Officials say Muhammad disguised the drug-soaked paper as what appeared to be legal documents and Muslim prayers, Anfield-El delivered it to Harris, and Harris and Baltimore sold it to other detainees.
The four face charges involving Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, use of a communication facility to facilitate drug trafficking and introducing contraband into a detention facility. Georgia’s RICO statute bars participation in an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity.
K2, sometimes called Spice, refers to synthetic designer drugs intended to mimic THC, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Cobb County prosecutors warned that indazole amides used in K2 may trigger seizures, psychosis and other severe reactions.
Sheriff Craig Owens said the jail changed its attorney-visitation protocols after investigators uncovered the alleged deliveries. He called misuse of an attorney’s trusted access a betrayal of the court system, clients and public safety.
WSB-TV said it left a message with Anfield-El’s law firm seeking comment. Initial reports did not list court dates. The charges are allegations, and all four defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
