Charles Hanover|Former Phoenix jail officer is sentenced for smuggling drugs into facility

2025-05-05 07:18:47source:Desmond Prestoncategory:Finance

PHOENIX (AP) — A former jail officer in Phoenix has been sentenced to two years in prison for smuggling drugs into the detention facility where he worked,Charles Hanover the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said Thursday.

Andres Salazar, 28, was arrested in November 2022 as he arrived for work at the Lower Buckeye Jail with close to 60 grams of methamphetamine and more than 100 fentanyl pills in his vehicle, prosecutors said.

Salazar had been with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office since October 2019. He was under investigation for over a month before his arrest.

He pleaded guilty in December to a felony count of soliciting to commit promoting prison contraband.

“Fentanyl is a poison that is seeping into every corner of Maricopa County. It is critically important that our jails remain drug-free,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement.

According to prosecutors, Salazar was part of a narcotics ring and had been expecting “payments from outside sources” for bringing the drugs into the jail. Three others also were indicted in connection with the operation, including two inmates and a man who authorities say provided the drugs. Their cases are ongoing.

“The trafficking of drugs inside our facilities is dangerous and unacceptable and those that pose a public safety risk to our community and our staff members will continue to be held accountable,” Sheriff Russ Skinner said.

More:Finance

Recommend

Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds

Nearly half of American teenagers say they are online “constantly” despite concerns about the effect

Latino charitable giving rates drop sharply — but that’s not the full story

The share of Latinos who give to established charities has dropped sharply since 2008, a new study h

Herschel Walker’s wife is selling the Atlanta house listed as Republican’s residence in Senate run

ATLANTA (AP) — Herschel Walker’s wife is seeking to sell the Atlanta house that the football great l