Deputies: Woman attempted to smuggle drug-soaked papers into Cook County jail by hiding them in pair of shoes

COOK COUNTY, Ill. — A woman is facing a felony charge after authorities say she attempted to smuggle drug-soaked papers into the Cook County Jail last month by allegedly hiding the papers in a pair of shoes.

Deputies from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, said 27-year-old Pandora Sinon, a Justice resident, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with attempting to bring a controlled substance into a penal institution, a felony.

According to deputies, Sinon’s charges were handed down after she attempted to smuggle papers soaked in a synthetic opioid into the jail by hiding them in a pair of running shoes that were meant to go to a person who had been sentenced to the Sheriff’s Vocational Rehabilitation Impact Center program.

Deputies said on Sunday, Aug. 18, Sinon allegedly dropped off a pair of white running shoes at the Mental Health Transition Center before leaving.

While inspecting the shoes, officers at the facility found three pieces of folded paper hidden inside and said they appeared to have been soaked in a suspected narcotic.

Following the discovery, authorities sent the papers to the Illinois State Police lab for testing. The tests later revealed that the papers had allegedly been soaked in the synthetic opioid buprenorphine.

After identifying Sinon as a suspect in the case, authorities took her into custody on Wednesday. During an initial hearing on Thursday, she was granted pre-trial release.

Drug-soaked papers have become a growing issue at the jail in recent years.

According to deputies, Sinon is the 42nd person to be charged this year for possessing or smuggling drug-soaked papers into the jail.

In June of 2023, WGN Investigates offered a look at the efforts by criminals to smuggle rug-soaked papers into the jail.

Back in August, WGN-TV spoke with Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart who said recent efforts to crack down on the contraband have pushed smugglers to “up the lethality” of what they are trying to get inside the jail.

Despite the creative attempts, law enforcement’s efforts are proving successful. According to Dart, so far this year, there have been no overdose deaths at the jail while in 2023, eight overdose deaths were reported, with half being linked to drug-soaked papers.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.