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| Woman sends meth-soaked letters to inmates |
| By TheKCRAChannel.com |
| Published: 03/21/2005 |
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Detectives say they have put a stop to a woman who allegedly passed along methamphetamine-soaked letters to inmates at two Stanislaus County (Calif.) jails. The letters went undetected by jail staff for months, according to authorities. And it wasn't until a homicide investigator came across a tip that the case was cracked. Inmates at the Stanislaus County Jail and at the Safety Center are supposed to stay away from drugs and alcohol, but investigators say Riann Ochoa, 27, found a way to get drugs to inmates without being noticed. "It all started when we had a subject in custody for homicide. His girlfriend at the time, or wife, was sending in a letter that we were told by a source that may contain meth," said Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department spokesman Ed Campbell. Campbell was the lead detective in a homicide case involving former inmate Francisco Ochoa. Campbell received a tip that inmates were getting letters soaked in meth, courtesy of Ochoa's wife. "We alerted the jail, told them to start looking at the envelopes, see if there is anything unusual with them," Campbell said. More than a dozen suspicious letters were discovered and sent off for testing. "I had them tested by our drug unit, and they turned up being positive for meth," Campbell said. Campbell said that all of the letters were linked back to Riann Ochoa. Detectives believe meth-soaked letters were mailed to inmates between May and June of 2003. "Once they got it in, they would tear off pieces of the envelope and soak in their saliva, swallowing and ingesting the drug," Campbell said. March 11, Riann Ochoa pleaded guilty to 15 felony counts of furnishing methamphetamine to inmates. Riann Ochoa will be formally sentenced to state prison in April. She is expected to serve two years. |
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