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Crime Sep 18, 2023
The Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta. | Photo courtesy of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department
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A Riverside County sheriff’s corrections deputy allegedly caught transporting a significant amount of drugs on Interstate 10 was being held Monday in lieu of $1 million bail.
Jorge Oceguera Rocha, 25, of Banning was arrested and booked into the Byrd Detention Center on Sunday on suspicion of transportation of drugs in excess of 44 pounds, possession of narcotics and possession of controlled substances while armed.
Rocha immediately tendered his resignation after being booked into the Murrieta jail, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Wenndy Brito Gonzalez.
She said that Rocha was driving in the area of I-10 and County Line Road in Calimesa when he was stopped by law enforcement.
“It was discovered that Rocha was in possession of narcotics,” the sheriff’s spokeswoman said. “No additional details will be released at this time, as the case is still under investigation.”
The suspect was hired by the sheriff’s department in April 2019, but it was unclear how long he had been assigned to the Smith jail.
The type of drugs allegedly in his vehicle wasn’t specified, and there was no word on whether Rocha was selling the substances throughout the correctional system, where multiple drug-related deaths have occurred, leading to a lawsuit earlier this year.
“The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department condemns any form of illegal activity and remains resolute in its commitment to deterring and preventing such behavior,” according to Gonzalez.
The case was expected to be turned over to the District Attorney’s Office for review Monday or Tuesday.
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