PHOENIX (AP) — A Maricopa County detainee has been arrested for trying to smuggle drugs into the prison system.
Sheriff Paul Penzone announced the arrest of Officer Andrés Salazar at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Salazar, who works at Lower Buckeye Prison, was found with nearly 100 pills that tested positive for methamphetamine and fentanyl, according to Penzone.
Salazar has been charged with respective counts of possession or use of drugs, facilitating prison smuggling and transportation for sale.
Penzone says the theft charge will be added because the officer allegedly forged overtime slips.
Salazar has been with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office since October 2019. He has been under investigation for over a month, Penzone said. He wasn’t immediately sure if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
Penzone said the officers’ behavior was particularly “egregious” because they put fellow officers and inmates at risk of coming into contact with fentanyl.
The sheriff also announced that his office is considering using body scanners to keep drugs out of jail.
Scanners look for foreign objects in anyone entering the room, including prison staff, other staff, and inmates. They are paid for by savings from the current budget.
