A Gulf Shores attorney will spend four months in a federal prison for smuggling synthetic marijuana into the Monroe County Detention Center, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Michael Leonides Santos, 36, was arrested in February 2022 after corrections officers seized papers from a federal inmate which were soaked with “spice,” a synthetic cannabinoid. The inmate had just met with Santos — at the time a practicing attorney — in a visiting room at the jail.

Officers had searched the inmate prior to the meeting with Santos and found no contraband. After the meeting, the spice-laced papers were found in the inmate’s socks, according to court records. The papers were sent for toxicology tests which confirmed the presence of synthetic cannabinoid.

Surveillance video from inside the room where Santos and the inmate met show Santos handing the inmate pieces of paper, which the inmate then placed in his socks.

After the discovery, Santos was taken into custody and prison officials notified federal agents. A search of Santos’ vehicle uncovered items including prepackaged baggies containing tobacco, phones, charging cables and other items “consistent with contraband smuggling.”

A contraband cell phone was also seized from the inmate. On it, agents found numerous text messages linking Santos to contraband smuggling.

From November 2021 to February 2022, the inmate had several “Chirp” texts with Santos. In those messages, the inmate described the plan to smuggle spice into the jail and how much profit the inmate expected to make from selling the drug-laced papers.

In one message, sent in December 2021, the inmate assured Santos “they don’t look into that.”

In addition to the four-month prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Kristi K. DuBose imposed one-year of supervised release on Santos, during which he will undergo substance abuse testing and treatment. He was also ordered to pay a $200 fine.

Santos entered a guilty plea in late April of this year as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. As part of that agreement, Santos is barred from representing criminal defendants in any U.S. jurisdiction — federal, state or local.