Drug Smuggling Into Riverside County Jail Was Part Of Conspiracy: Feds

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The U.S. Justice Department and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department allege that a scheme to smuggle drugs into a local jail involved a conspiracy in which people purposely got arrested in order to distribute narcotics.

On Friday, the two law enforcement agencies announced that three people were arrested as part of a larger group of 10 defendants named in an indictment that alleges the group was transporting methamphetamine into a Riverside County detention facility.

The alleged conspiracy was led by Andrew Jesus Ayala, 46, of Riverside and members of a Riverside-based street gang, according to the agencies.

Authorities say the indictment outlines a scheme that began at an unknown date and continued into late 2022, when intercepted phone calls revealed efforts to smuggle narcotics into a Riverside County jail.

Members of the drug trafficking ring obtained narcotics and recruited people who were willing to smuggle drugs hidden inside their bodies and bring the contraband into the jail, according to the authorities.

Leaders of the scheme arranged temporary housing for the drug mules before and after they went into custody and delivered narcotics, according to authorities.

Steps were taken by the smugglers to avoid having the drugs detected by X-ray scanners, but that failed in late 2022 when a defendant attempted to smuggle 1¾ ounces of methamphetamine inside his body. The contraband was intercepted via a scanner, authorities allege.

As of Friday, all 10 defendants were in custody. Each was charged with conspiracy, a charge that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.

Nine of the defendants are additionally charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, which also carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.

"I commend the sheriff's investigators and FBI agents who worked tirelessly on this case to ensure those responsible were identified and brought to justice," Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said. "We will continue to partner with federal agents in our ongoing efforts to keep Riverside County safe."