Two Palm Beach County corrections deputies implicated in allegations of smuggling drugs into the Palm Beach County Jail's main detention center have resigned, according to internal Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office documents.

Deputy Karl Kirkland, 58, submitted an affidavit to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in October relinquishing his law-enforcement certification, weeks after he pleaded guilty to two lesser counts of introduction of contraband into a jail facility.

Deputy Samuel Pierre, 30, submitted his resignation in October, days after entering into a pretrial intervention agreement, which included paying court costs and relinquishing his Criminal Justice Commission Certification with the state of Florida.

They were two of three corrections deputies named in alleged smuggling operations that involved bringing drugs into the jail, which is located off Gun Club Road in suburban West Palm Beach.

Deputy Jose Gutierrez, who was arrested in April 2021, has pleaded not guilty to charges of introducing contraband to a jail facility, conspiracy to introduce contraband and marijuana possession. He is on administrative leave without pay and is scheduled to have his next court hearing this month.

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Code words in inmate's phone call tipped investigators

Pierre was linked to an investigation that began in October 2020 after unnamed inmates reported that he was bringing contraband into the facility. An internal PBSO investigation revealed that Pierre connected with relatives and friends of inmates housed in the jail to acquire marijuana, receiving $200 to $1,500 "per drop" at the jail.

In one instance, investigators monitored phone calls between an inmate and an outside party, with the conversations revealing code words that indicated the involvement of a law-enforcement officer in a drug operation, a PBSO report said. The inmate arranged for a woman to pick up drugs from a supplier and deliver them to Pierre to bring to the jail, investigators said.

Pierre relied on his knowledge of daily procedures at the jail to avoid detection, including the lack of searching employees entering the facility, investigators said.

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One corrections officer accused of trafficking in methamphetamine

Kirkland was accused of trafficking in methamphetamine following covert surveillance that began in April 2021. Investigators say on April 6, 2021, an inmate arranged for Kirkland to meet with an outside party at a McDonald's fast-food restaurant in the Palm Beach Gardens area.

Once at McDonald's, Kirkland was captured "through multiple surveillance techniques" taking a brown bag from a woman, driving off in his vehicle, and then heading in the direction of PBSO's headquarters at the Gun Club Road complex.

The woman told investigators she gave the drugs to Kirkland that day, one on which Kirkland was scheduled to work at the jail. During a plea hearing in September, Kirkland was credited with 16 days of time served in the county jail, placed on two years of probation and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Two PBSO corrections deputies quit amid probe into drug smuggling at jail