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Powdery substance sent to Las Vegas court from prison, authorities say

Inmates at Ely State Prison sent two packages; one substance was deemed harmless while the other remained unknown Thursday

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Inmates at Ely State Prison sent a white powder through the mail to a Las Vegas courthouse twice, according to a statement from the Nevada Department of Corrections. (Photo Getty images)

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By Sabrina Schnur
Las Vegas Review-Journal

ELY, Nev. - Inmates at Ely State Prison sent a white powder through the mail to a Las Vegas courthouse twice, according to a statement from the Nevada Department of Corrections.

One substance was deemed harmless while the other remained unknown Thursday. The mail was delivered Friday and Monday, prison officials said.

No injuries or symptoms were immediately reported, and the statement did not name the inmates who were involved.

Prison officials said they only check mail that is addressed to Gov. Steve Sisolak, Attorney General Aaron Ford or Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, so this mail was not discovered until it arrived at the courthouse.

Convicted killer and escapee Porfirio Duarte-Herrera was recently transferred to the prison, which is a maximum security facility. Duarte-Herrera was arrested in Las Vegas last week attempting to board a bus to Tijuana after escaping Southern Desert Correctional Center.

Duarte-Herrera was sentenced to life in prison in the 2007 Luxor parking lot bombing that killed a man.

His escape prompted the resignation of prison director Charles Daniels and six employees were placed on paid leave for breaching security protocols, Sisolak said in a statement Friday.

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