An inmate at the El Paso County Jail will serve prison time for distributing fentanyl inside the correctional facility, according to a Monday news release from the Sheriff’s office.

Wendy Sanchez, 44, pleaded guilty to distribution of a controlled substance in May and was sentenced to six years in prison, officials said.

The conviction was the culmination of an investigation that began Dec. 31, when deputies learned that there might be fentanyl present in the jail. Officers began an investigation after finding and confiscating the drugs.

Security video showed one female inmate passing a “suspected fentanyl pill” to another. The pill had been smuggled into the jail by an inmate, according to a Sheriff’s office official. Sanchez was identified as the inmate who passed the pill along.

On Jan. 9, the Sheriff’s office charged Sanchez with possessing and distributing a controlled substance. On May 15, Sanchez pled guilty to distributing drugs and was sentenced.

Sheriff Joe Roybal praised his deputies’ efforts in the investigation.

“This is another example of our efforts to reduce the introduction of illicit drugs into the jail,” Roybal said. “If you are in custody and are found to possess dangerous drugs in our facility, we will hold you fully accountable under the law.”