CLEVELAND, OH — Newly unsealed court records in the federal case against a Cuyahoga County corrections officer accused of smuggling drugs to inmates now tie the investigation to at least one overdose inside the county’s jail.
Quiana Thompson was first arrested in April 2025 and placed on paid administrative leave by the county.
This week, the county changed Thompson’s status to unpaid leave after she was charged federally with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
On body camera video released by Cuyahoga County Friday, a deputy is seen approaching Thompson, who is still in her jail uniform, informing her she’s driving with expired license plates.
On the recording, Thompson denies having anything illegal in her car.
What she didn’t realize was investigators had been watching her for days.
According to court records, it came after inmates told deputies that Thompson may have been smuggling drugs into the jail.
On the day of her arrest, investigators said they watched Thompson, in uniform, pick up drugs from an inmate’s mother.
“Is there any reason the dog would alert on your vehicle?” a deputy asked Thompson on the recording.
“There’s a bottle of wine under the front seat,” Thompson said.
The deputy then tells Thompson, “He’s a narcotics dog.”
Video shows investigators searching the inside of the jailer’s car.
“Bingo! There’s our package,” a deputy is heard saying.
Court records said the same drugs ordered by an inmate on a recorded jail phone call were found in the car.
That included 25 suboxone strips, 2 pieces of paper that tested positive for synthetic marijuana, and 21 methamphetamine pills.
“I'm a lieutenant with the sheriff's department going on my 31st year,” an investigator is seen on video telling Thompson. “I started as a corrections officer. I'm extremely appalled. I really am. Alright? This is our house. I can't believe you infiltrated our house like this. You embarrassed us.”
After initially denying it, Thompson eventually admits on the recording that she got paid to smuggle the drugs.
According to court documents, she accepted three payments totaling $1,100 in exchange for delivering more than a dozen sheets of paper covered with synthetic marijuana, and 20 suboxone strips into the jail.
In one case, investigators said Thompson was recorded on jail surveillance video opening the cell door of an inmate suspected of distributing drugs throughout the jail even though Thompson was not assigned to that area of the facility and had no reason to go into that area.
On the video, Thompson said she only did it because an inmate threatened her family.
“I’m know I’m in the wrong, but I have to protect my family,” said Thompson.
Investigators questioned Thompson about the pills found in her car and in the process revealed just how dangerous her decisions may have been.
“The pills? I don't know what the pills are,” said Thompson.
“Okay, you know that somebody overdosed on those?” the lieutenant asked Thompson.
“No, I did not know that,” she said.
“He did and he almost died,” said the lieutenant. “We had to Narcan him three times. You know what that could be, right?”
“Yeah,” said Thompson. “That could be aggravated murder.”
