A former senior correctional police officer has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into Northern State Prison in Newark, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

Christopher Santana, of Hackensack, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to commit bribery in state Superior Court in Essex County.

Under a plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend Santana, 33, be sentenced to three years in state prison. He also forfeited $4,500 in alleged bribe payments. He will be permanently barred from holding public office or public employment in New Jersey.

Authorities said Santana received thousands of dollars in bribes from associates of inmates between approximately May 2024 and June 2025 in exchange for smuggling contraband into the prison. Payments were made in cash and through a personal mobile payment app, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

Investigators said Santana arrived for a scheduled shift on June 10, 2025, with a large bulge under his clothing. A search allegedly uncovered two vacuum-sealed bags of tobacco and three bottles of an unknown liquid concealed under his protective vest and near his upper thigh.

Santana was fired in July 2025.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 5.