Las Vegas prison guard busted on drug charges

A guard at the Southern Nevada women's prison was arrested Wednesday on charges she smuggled drugs into the prison for an inmate.

Constance Edwards, 33, was arrested after investigators found two balloons of heroin in her possession.

She has been employed by Corrections Corporation of America, which manages the prison under contract for the state, for the past two years. Investigators for the Department of Public Safety say they believe she was involved in smuggling drugs for about a year.

She is accused of smuggling heroin and cocaine into the prison for inmate Valerie Moore. She allegedly received the contraband from former inmate Karen Matthews, according to a statement from the Nevada Department of Public Safety.

Matthews was also arrested in the case. Both women face charges of introducing a controlled substance into a correctional institution and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Moore will face disciplinary charges through the prison system.