PORT ALLEN - Four inmates found unresponsive in a holding area of the West Baton Rouge Parish Jail likely overdosed on mojo, the sheriff's office said Wednesday. 

Mojo, a synthetic cannabinoid that can be sprayed on a piece of paper and ingested, has been linked to multiple overdoses behind bars. West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office Chief of Criminal Operations Major Kevin Devall said that it's an issue penal facilities across the country are dealing with. 

An inmate in the parish jail's work release program was showing signs of intoxication on the job on Tuesday and was returned to the detention facility for booking, Devall said.

Although the inmate was scanned, deputies missed a substance that made its way into the jail, he said. 

While in a holding area, the inmate allegedly removed the suspected mojo from a body cavity and ingested it, as did three other inmates. The four inmates were found unresponsive and rushed to hospitals. 

Since the event, procedures have been added to create a "more sterile" environment, according to Devall. 

Tuesday's overdose came two days after Darren Dorman Jr., 46, a federal inmate being housed at the jail, was found dead in his cell. There was no obvious trauma to his body. Dorman's cause of death has yet to be determined and will not be until toxicology results have returned, Devall said.