Northern California prison guard smuggled drugs for inmates, sheriff alleges
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A Humboldt County prison guard was arrested and charged by county sheriffs for allegedly smuggling methamphetamines and opioids into the prison.Dreamstime/TNS
A Humboldt County prison guard was arrested and charged by county sheriffs for allegedly sneaking methamphetamines and opioids into the prison.
Ricardo Aguirre, 27, was arrested Tuesday while he was working a shift at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility. He resigned the same day.
The guard is being charged with the sale and possession of a controlled substance while armed and smuggling contraband into jail.
After his resignation and arrest, the county sheriff’s office found that he had allegedly been transporting drugs into the prison for months. He started working for the prison in September 2019.
UPDATE, 3:50 p.m.:
In response to questions from the
Outpost, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office provided a bit more information about the facts behind Aguirre’s arrest and the allegations against him.
Asked what contraband he’s accused of bringing into the jail, Public Information Specialist Samantha Karges said via email, “[E]vidence indicates that opioids and methamphetamine were brought into the jail by Aguirre.”
The investigation was initiated after a witness “from outside the facility” came forward with information about the alleged smuggling, and all evidence thus far indicates that Aguirre was alone in committing these acts, Karges said.
Posted By Kimberly Wear@kimberly wear on Wed, Mar 3, 2021 at 11:58 AM click to enlarge The Humboldt County jail.
A correctional officer was arrested Tuesday by the Humboldt County Drug Force following a month-long investigation into information that he was smuggling drugs into the jail. Eureka resident Ricardo Tranquilino Aguirre, 27, who had been at the job since September of 2019, resigned his position today, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office reported.
According to a news release, the drug task force investigation began last month after the sheriff’s office received information that Aguirre had been bringing contraband in the facility.
The release states that evidence found since his arrest indicates he had been doing so for months and was acting alone.
On March 1, 2021, just after 1 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence on the 4000 block of D Street, in the county’s jurisdiction of Eureka, for the report of a domestic disturbance resulting in injuries.
On Feb. 28, 2021, at about 9:20 p.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Emergency Communications Center was contacted by the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office regarding a stolen vehicle reportedly last seen traveling on Highway 96 toward Orleans.