3 Suspected In Murrieta Jail Drug Smuggling Operation: Sheriff

MURRIETA, CA — Two men and a woman suspected of smuggling drugs into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta were behind bars Friday.

Nicole Marie Gall, 29, and Jaime Benjamin Garcia, 41, both of Moreno Valley, along with 41-year-old Juan Briseno of Murrieta, were arrested Thursday following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation.

Gall and Garcia were each booked into the Murrieta jail on suspicion of conspiracy and selling controlled substances within a correctional facility, while Briseno was formally booked on suspicion of conspiracy, possession of controlled substances in jail and identity theft. He was already in custody at the Byrd Detention Center, awaiting disposition of an assault and domestic violence case, when deputies notified him of the additional allegations.

Briseno is being held on $100,000 bail. Briseno's next court date was planned for May 13 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Gall is being held on $500,000 bail, and slated to appear in court on Monday, and as of Monday morning, Garcia was not listed in the Riverside County Jail database.

Sheriff's C. Sgt. Spencer Rustad's released statement says the Corrections Investigations Bureau initiated a probe in December after uncovering evidence of a drug trafficking ring within the correctional system.

Deputies seized an undisclosed quantity of fentanyl at the Murrieta jail, culminating in the identification of the alleged conspirators in the smuggling ring, according to Rustad.

Search warrants were obtained and served at a residence on Katrina Avenue in Moreno Valley, resulting "in the seizure of methamphetamine, items used in the smuggling operation and evidence of credit and identity fraud," he said. "The three suspects, working in concert, coordinated and attempted to smuggle fentanyl into the detention center."

The arrests stemmed from an "ongoing mission to prevent narcotics from entering our correctional facilities.

"The diligence of our deputies during searches, implementation of the nonintrusive sensor and scanning device known as the 'Tek-84,' and comprehensive criminal investigations such as this are among several measures the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has taken to combat the supply of narcotics into our jail system," Rustad said. "Inmate education is a priority within our jails, and inmates are furnished with educational material and classes about the dangers of narcotics, with an emphasis on Fentanyl, provided by the Detention Health Services Division of the Riverside University Health System."

Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to contact Investigator Franklin Enochs at 951–955–7076 or C. Deputy Philip Diefenderfer at 951–696–3465.