A convicted felon accused of smuggling drugs into a Riverside County jail, where inmates sold the contraband, was charged Thursday with transporting controlled substances into a correctional facility.
Shaun Manuel Adamson, 31, of Fontana was arrested Tuesday following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation that also led to the arrests of four other people.
Adamson was slated to make his initial court appearance Thursday afternoon at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta. He was being held on $500,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center — the facility into which he allegedly smuggled the narcotics.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Rustad, the Corrections Investigations Bureau initiated a probe in June after uncovering evidence of a drug trafficking ring within the county correctional system.
Deputies at the Byrd Detention Center seized methamphetamine, which resulted in the identification of the alleged traffickers, Rustad said.
Adamson was confirmed to be the alleged supplier, conspiring with 40-year-old Eric Wesley Johnson of Fontana, 38-year-old Violeta Lopez of Pomona, 33-year-old Chantelle Neal of Riverside and 34-year-old Rigoberto Plasencia of Riverside, Rustad alleged.
Search warrants were obtained and served at properties Tuesday, netting “2.5 pounds of fentanyl, 3.5 ounces of methamphetamine, 2.5 ounces of cocaine, a semi-automatic handgun, .75 grams of heroin and $5,000 believed to be proceeds from narcotic sales,” the sergeant said.
Plasencia was transported to state prison for a felony conviction that occurred before the investigation concluded, according to the sheriff’s department.
Johnson was arrested on suspicion of possession of controlled substances and possession of drug paraphernalia, but he posted a $10,000 bond and was released from the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning Tuesday.
Lopez was arrested on suspicion of possession of controlled substances, but she posted a $5,000 bond and was also released form the Smith jail Tuesday.
Neal was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, transportation of drugs for sale and probation violations. She was released from the Robert Presley Jail Tuesday after posting a $5,000 bond.
“This investigation was part of the sheriff’s office’s ongoing mission to prevent narcotics from entering our correctional facilities,” Rustad said. “The diligence of our deputies during searches, implementation of the non-intrusive sensor and scanning device known as the `Tek-84,’ and comprehensive criminal investigations such as this are among measures the sheriff’s office has taken to combat the supply of narcotics into our jail system.”
Court records show Adamson has a prior conviction for receiving stolen property. Background information on his alleged co-conspirators was unavailable.