Two suspected of smuggling drugs into county jail via mail

MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) - A man and woman suspected of smuggling controlled substances to inmates at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta via the U.S. Postal Service were arrested today.

A 29-year-old woman from Hemet and a 49-year-old man of Murrieta were taken into custody Friday and booked into the Murrieta jail on suspicion of narcotics trafficking via USPS.

Crofts posted an undisclosed bond hours later and was released from custody. Armenta remained behind bars on unspecified bail.   

According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the suspects were allegedly smuggling drugs to different inmates -- 42-year-old Saul Arevalo of Bloomington and 32-year-old Daniel Morales Jr. of Cathedral City.   

Morales was arrested in 2022 in connection with a deadly shooting in Cathedral City. His case remains ongoing.

Details on Arevalo and the reasons for his detention were unavailable.

Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Wedel said the agency's Corrections Investigation Bureau, in coordination with the Gang Intelligence Unit, initiated a probe in November 2024 after uncovering evidence narcotics were reaching the Murrieta jail by way of the Postal Service.

In the ensuing months, sufficient evidence was gathered that pointed to the alleged suppliers and recipients, culminating in search warrants being obtained and served at Crofts' and Armenta's respective residences Friday morning, Wedel said.

"Investigators seized evidence related to the jail narcotics smuggling investigation,'' he said.

Arevalo and Morales were notified that they had been named in the investigation. Their custody status did not change.   

Jail records indicated that Arevalo has been at the county lock-up since 2017. Morales has been there since 2022.   

"This investigation was part of the sheriff's office's ongoing mission to prevent narcotics from entering our correctional facilities,'' according to Wedel.

The case was expected to be submitted to the District Attorney's