Federal Inmate Sentenced for Conspiring to Smuggle Synthetic Drugs into Wyatt Detention Facility

PROVIDENCE - A federal inmate who coordinated a scheme to smuggle synthetic cannabinoids into the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility has been sentenced to an additional term in federal prison.

Randy Diaz-Pizarro, 34, was sentenced on November 7, 2026, by U.S. District Court Judge Melissa R. DuBose to 24 months, to be served consecutive to the 120-month sentence he is currently serving following a conviction in the District of Massachusetts.

According to court documents, Diaz-Pizarro worked with several co-conspirators, including another inmate, a detention facility employee, and an individual outside the facility, to smuggle drug-soaked paper into the prison. Diaz-Pizarro directed and coordinated payments and communications related to the scheme. The contraband was intended for personal use and distribution among the inmates.

At sentencing, the court considered Diaz-Pizarro's criminal history and the fact that he committed the offense while in federal custody on unrelated charges.

"Correctional facilities cannot operate safely when inmates and their associates attempt to turn them into marketplaces for illegal drugs," said First Assistant United States AttorneyCharles C. Calenda. "This type of criminal conduct undermines the safety and security of these institutions and puts both staff and inmates at risk. A prison sentence is not an opportunity to continue criminal activity, and those who do so risk adding years to their incarceration."

"Randy Diaz-Pizarro is an unrepentant career criminal who smuggled drug-soaked papers into a detention center not only for his own use, but for his fellow inmates to purchase. His blatant disregard of the law undermined the safety of this facility," said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Boston Division. "This sentence should serve as a warning: the FBI and our partners are working every day to identify and bring to justice those who seek to profit from criminal activity while behind bars."

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise M. Barton.

The matter was investigated by the FBI and the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility Professional Standards Unit.