A man is caught trying to deliver contraband to federal prison

A man has been charged after deputies said they caught him trying to smuggle more than $100,000 worth of contraband into a federal correctional facility in Raleigh County. Julius Covington faces charges of conspiracy to commit a felony and attempting to smuggle contraband into jail after he was found with three packages Saturday outside Federal Correctional Institution Beckley in the Beaver area. He was initially spotted near a wood line adjacent to the facility and then later detained along a nearby road where he claimed to be lost. Investigators later found a phone connected to an inmate under surveillance for coordinating contraband exchanges, according to a news release. Deputies said they also found three packages containing four cell phones, a vape pen, cartridge and five sheets of paper laced with methamphetamine, along with cables and earbuds. The total estimated prison value of the items is believed to be more than $100,000. Covington is currently being held on a $1 million surety/cash bond.