PHOENIX — A Maricopa County detention officer has been arrested for attempting to bring illegal drugs into the local jail, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
MCSO Sheriff Paul Penzone said he was "disgusted" by Andres Salazar's alleged actions and would do everything reasonable and humanly possible to ensure illegal drugs are not coming into the jails.
Officials allegedly uncovered coordinated drug smuggling efforts between inmates after monitoring chats, video visits and phone calls. The plans included 100 fentanyl pills, heroin, meth and wax marijuana.
Investigators learned the inmates were coordinating with Salazar, which another inmate reportedly confirmed in an interview. Salazar met with an outside source to obtain the drugs and $1,000 in cash.
Salazar admitted to smuggling after he was detained by officers. The drugs were later found in the trunk of his car, along with $900. He said he spent $100 of the cash on food and gas.
Salazar, who has been with the sheriff's office since 2019, has been booked on one count each of possession or use of a narcotic drug, promoting prison contraband, and transport for sale. Penzone says theft charges will be added since Salazar allegedly forged overtime slips.
Penzone said scanning machines would be installed to ensure every individual coming into the jails is screened for illegal contraband.
Penzone said the project funding would come from money the state set aside in the MCSO budget.
MCSO said in 2022 alone, 172 inmates were taken to the hospital for overdose or drug-related incidents.
The medical examiner determined that 17 in-custody deaths were the result of an overdose, or drugs were a major contributing factor.
In 2022, 194 inmates tested positive for some sort of drug, and 114 out of the 194 tested positive for fentanyl.
>> VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Oficial de detención arrestado por intentar introducir drogas ilegales a la cárcel, dijo MCSO
This is a developing story. We will update this article as more information becomes available.
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