Riverside, County – A sophisticated drug smuggling operation designed to flood a Riverside County jail with fentanyl, meth, and heroin has been dismantled , according to federal authorities. Ten individuals have been charged in connection with the scheme, which relied on “drug mules” intentionally getting arrested to sneak contraband behind bars.
The announcement came Friday, March 21, with authorities detailing a network of street gang members, jailed facilitators, and couriers willing to hide drugs inside their bodies to bypass security measures. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department worked alongside the FBI to uncover the operation, which had been running until at least late 2022.
“This kind of smuggling, especially with the rise of fentanyl, has led to a dangerous increase in inmate deaths and medical emergencies in our jails,” Sheriff Chad Bianco stated…