For generations, marijuana has been rolled inside paper to create what is commonly referred to as a joint.

Instead of rolling it, a Durango man is suspected of recently folding a bit of cannabis inside a letter, and mailing it to his girlfriend, an inmate at the Montezuma County jail.

On Nov. 17, a jailor reported that he had found a “suspicious green leafy substance” inside an envelope addressed to inmate Holly Cogburn, 30, of Cortez. Marijuana could be smelled coming from the envelope, authorities said.

“The green dry leafy substance was tested with the correct NIK test kit and found to be presumptive positive for marijuana,” Deputy Victor Galarza wrote in a two-page report.

Jail officers are expected to inspect and search all incoming inmate mail to prevent contraband from entering the 104-bed facility. In addition to marijuana, the suspicious package, reportedly sent from a 44-year-old Durango man, also included a handwritten letter.

Interviewed by Galarza, Cogburn was cooperative, confirming her boyfriend’s handwriting and providing authorities with his phone number.

“Why would he be that stupid to send stuff to me?” Cogburn reportedly asked investigators.

Contacted via telephone, the suspect was “verbally aggressive and defensive” with deputies and denied any wrongdoing, Galarza said.

“I have a medical card,” the suspect reportedly told authorities.

Agreeing to meet with investigators, the suspect and a private attorney appeared at the jail the following day. Based on that cooperation, Galarza said he forwarded the case to prosecutors for possible charges.

This week, District Attorney Will Furse said he had yet to review the case.

On Oct. 30, the Durango man under suspicion for introducing contraband at the jail posted a photograph of a budding marijuana plant on his personal Facebook page, stating that he had a “full crop.”

In custody after failure to comply with bond conditions, Cogburn was initially charged with child abuse stemming from an incident in August. She’s also being held for failure to appear in Michigan, according to jail records.

Cogburn is set to appear in Montezuma County Court next week for a suppression hearing related to the pending child abuse case.

tbaker@the-journal.com