Following a detailed investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff's Office, three individuals have been arrested in connection with a scheme to smuggle narcotics into a local correctional facility. According to a report released on the Riverside County Sheriff's Office website, officials from the Gang Intelligence Unit, among others, uncovered an operation that was attempting to introduce Fentanyl into the Cois Byrd Detention Center.
The investigation, which commenced in December 2024, prevented a smuggling attempt and identified three suspects, Nicole Marie Gall, Jaime Benjamin Garcia, and Juan Briseno Jr., as alleged collaborators in this illegal activity. On Thursday, two residential search warrants were served in Moreno Valley, yielding methamphetamine and various items linked to the smuggling operation, along with evidence pointing to credit and identity fraud. Gall, a 29-year-old from Moreno Valley, faces charges including conspiracy, narcotic smuggling, furnishing narcotics to a person in a correctional facility, and resisting arrest.
Garcia, a 41-year-old also from Moreno Valley, was arrested on similar charges, extending to resisting arrest. Briseno Jr., 42, who was already in custody at the detention center, has been implicated for conspiracy and the smuggling of narcotics into the facility. The intention behind these arrests is clear, as the Riverside County Sheriff's Office remains steadfast in its goal to prevent narcotics from permeating the secured walls of its jails.
Further reinforcing their determination to curtail these activities, the Sheriff's Office places a high emphasis on inmate education, particularly regarding the potent dangers of Fentanyl. Educational materials and classes provided by the Detention Health Services Division of the Riverside University Health System are part of the strategic approach to dissuade inmates from engaging with these harmful substances.
Authorities encourage anyone with pertinent information to contact Investigator Franklin Enochs at 951–955–7076 or C. Deputy Philip Diefenderfer at 951–696–3465.
