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| Prison Drug Smugglers Sentenced |
| By The Californian |
| Published: 12/24/2002 |
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The ringleaders of a large drug-smuggling business that operated behind the walls of a Soledad, California prison have been sentenced to a combined 52 years behind bars. The rulings -- handed down in November and earlier this month -- culminated a lengthy investigation that led to convictions of numerous inmates and female visitors. The women smuggled drugs into the Correctional Training Facility that were then sold to other inmates, said Chris Harter, Monterey County deputy district attorney. The final defendant in the case, CTF inmate Francisco Villa, 43, was sentenced last week to 28 years in prison, Harter said. Villa, fellow inmate Jaime Jasso, 39, and Ruben Ambriz, 33, of Oxnard were the leaders of a ring that smuggled up to $20,000 of drugs into the prison, officials said. Ambriz was sentenced Nov. 26 to six years and Jasso was sentenced Dec. 3 to 18 years in prison on drug-related offenses. Villa and Jasso will serve the sentence after serving their current prison terms. The men arranged for women, including Villa's wife, Martha Silva, to smuggle marijuana, cocaine and heroin into the prison during inmate visits. The women hid the drugs in their bodies, prosecutors said. The inmate and his wife used the code word 'kids' to refer to drugs in phone conversations. The couple would use phrases like 'bring the kids' and 'get the kids ready' while organizing smuggling operations, Harter said. |
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