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Riverside, County – A sophisticated drug smuggling operation designed to flood a Riverside County jail with fentanyl, meth, and heroin has been dismantled, according to federal authorities. Ten individuals have been charged in connection with the scheme, which relied on “drug mules” intentionally getting arrested to sneak contraband behind bars.
The announcement came Friday, March 21, with authorities detailing a network of street gang members, jailed facilitators, and couriers willing to hide drugs inside their bodies to bypass security measures. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department worked alongside the FBI to uncover the operation, which had been running until at least late 2022.
“This kind of smuggling, especially with the rise of fentanyl, has led to a dangerous increase in inmate deaths and medical emergencies in our jails,” Sheriff Chad Bianco stated.
The operation was allegedly orchestrated by Andrew Jesus Ayala, a 46-year-old Riverside resident, in coordination with a local street gang and inmates seeking a steady drug supply. Intercepted phone calls helped authorities piece together how traffickers sourced drugs and found people desperate enough to transport them internally. Temporary housing was even arranged to help couriers prepare before getting arrested.
While the smuggling network had some success evading detection, the scheme began to unravel in late 2022 when an X-ray machine flagged a mule attempting to sneak nearly two ounces of meth into the jail. Investigators say members of the ring discussed plans to bring in fentanyl-laced pills, knowing they could fetch ten times the street price inside the jail.
Of the ten charged, three were arrested Friday, while the remaining seven were already in custody. Each defendant faces federal charges, including conspiracy to distribute meth, which carries a minimum five-year sentence and could mean up to 40 years in prison.
With overdoses rising, authorities continue to crack down on the underground networks keeping contraband flowing. As this case shows, those efforts are far from over.
