— An officer at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women was among nine people charged with being part of a statewide drug distribution network that focused on getting narcotics into state prisons, authorities said Friday.

Lauren Del Zimmerman, 31, of 496 Crutchfield Drive in Cameron, was charged with felony conspiracy to sell and deliver Schedule III controlled substances. She has worked as a corrections officer at the women's prison in Raleigh for almost two years, officials said.

The drug ring distributed Suboxone and Adderall among prison inmates and was run by Samuel Lee Perkins of Burlington, authorities said.

Suboxone is an opioid that is used to treat heroin addiction but which can also lead to dependency, while Adderall is an amphetamine often prescribed for treatment of attention-deficit disorder. Based on information investigators uncovered, Suboxone strips would sell for $200 to $300 in prison.

Perkins, 62, of 924 Rainey St., who works as a cook for a catering company, was arrested in August on two counts of felony conspiracy to sell and deliver Schedule III controlled substances, felony operating a continuing criminal enterprise, felony possession with intent to sell and deliver a Schedule III controlled substance, felony manufacturing of a Schedule III controlled substance, felony maintaining a dwelling for the manufacture or sale of controlled substances and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Since then, investigators with the Alamance County Sheriff's Office, the State Bureau of Investigation and the state Department of Public Safety Special Operations and Intelligence unit identified and arrested other alleged members of the operation:

Tyler Lee Orr, 22, who shared a home with Perkins, was charged with felony conspiracy to sell and deliver Schedule III controlled substances, felony conspiracy to sell and deliver Schedule II controlled substances, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Everette Gerard McCandies, 56, of 625 Tillman St. in Burlington, was charged with felony conspiracy to sell and deliver Schedule III controlled substances, felony possession of heroin and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Allison Mae Craft, 29, of 121 N. Glenn St. in Ellenboro, was charged with felony conspiracy to sell and deliver Schedule III controlled substances.

Julie Haskins, 30, was charged with felony conspiracy to sell and deliver Schedule III controlled substances.

Ashleigh Carole Morgan, 28, was charged with felony conspiracy to sell and deliver Schedule III controlled substances.

Tracy Louise Pruitt Cochrane, 46, was charged with felony conspiracy to sell and deliver Schedule III controlled substances and felony conspiracy to sell and deliver Schedule II controlled substances.

Lisa Marie Harmon, 37, was charged with felony conspiracy to sell and deliver Schedule III controlled substances.

Haskins, Morgan and Harmon are all incarcerated at the women's prison in Raleigh, while Craft and Cochrane were released from prison in September and October, respectively, according to DPS records.

Random drug tests at the women's prison over a seven-month period found that 143 of 362 inmates tested, or 40 percent, tested positive for Suboxone. Meanwhile, only 10 tested positive for methamphetamine, five for opioids, three for cocaine and one for marijuana.

Investigators aren't sure how long the drug ring had been operating, and they still are trying to determine the source of the drugs.

Perkins remains in the Alamance County jail under $300,000 bond, while Orr is being held under $85,000 bond and Cochrane under $125,000 bond.

Zimmerman was released after posting $50,000 bond, while McCandies posted $30,000 bond and Craft posted $10,000 bond.

"This type of criminal activity is a slap in the face to the hardworking, underpaid employees of the N.C. Department of Corrections who keep our communities safe from those who choose to commit serious crimes in Alamance County and our great state," Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said in a statement.

The case remains under investigation, and more arrests are likely, authorities said.