Crackdown on narcotics smuggling in county jail system nets nine arrests
A two-month investigation into drug smuggling throughout the Riverside County correctional system netted nine arrests, with the majority of the suspects in custody today.
According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the probe was initiated in October to ferret out sources of the fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine being funneled into the county's five jails.
Sgt. Ken Thurm said multiple alleged smugglers, in-custody and out of custody, were ultimately identified, resulting in probation searches and warrants being executed earlier this week.
"As a result of the searches, deputies seized three handguns, a rifle, several hundred rounds of ammunition, a ballistic vest, fentanyl pills, brass knuckles and 80 grams of methamphetamine,'' Thurm said.
Randy Carey Jr., 48, of Homeland was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of controlled substances for sale. He was released from the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta after posting a $50,000 bond.
John Wesley Cox, 38, of Menifee was formally arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to smuggle narcotics into a correctional facility. However, he was already in custody at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, held in lieu of $10,000 bail, awaiting disposition of charges connected to probation violations, being a felon with a gun and evading.
A 39-year-old Riverside woman was arrested on suspicion of transportation of narcotics for sale and child endangerment. She posted a $25,000 bond and was released from the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside Wednesday.
A 40-year-old man from San Jacinto was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of controlled substances for sale and being a felon in possession of a gun. Earnest is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.
A 30-year-old man from Perris was formally arrested for conspiracy to smuggle narcotics into a correctional facility. However, he was already in custody, being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail, awaiting disposition of a murder case out of Riverside.
A 23-year-old woman from Menifee was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine, possession of fentanyl and conspiracy to smuggle narcotics into a correctional facility. Longoria is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.
A 25-year-old from Riverside was formally arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to smuggle narcotics into a correctional facility, but like Johnson, he was already in custody at the downtown Riverside jail, awaiting disposition of murder charges out of Riverside.
A 42-year-old Moreno Valley man was arrested on suspicion of identity theft and probation violations. He was released on his own recognizance from the Robert Presley Jail Tuesday.
A 45-year-old woman from Hemet was booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on warrants related to auto theft and possession of stolen goods. She's being held on $20,000 bail.
"The investigation was part of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's ongoing mission to prevent narcotics from getting into the correctional facilities,'' Thurm said. "The diligence of our deputies during
searches, implementation of the non-invasive sensor and scanning device `Tek-84' and comprehensive criminal investigations ... are among measures the department has taken to combat the supply of narcotics into our jail system."
The agency is currently in litigation over a string of in-custody deaths in the last several years. Most of them have been drug-related or the result of suicide, though others remain undetermined, according to court papers.
In September, a former sheriff's correctional deputy, 25-year-old Jorge Alberto Oceguera Rocha of Banning, was charged with transportation of drugs for sale and possession of controlled substances in connection with an alleged smuggling operation.
Rocha was allegedly hauling thousands of fentanyl pill in his vehicle. The defendant resigned immediately after being taken into custody. He's being held on $5 million bail at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio and is slated to appear for a status hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice on Jan. 4.
