WHEATON, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 01: Narcan nasal spray for the treatment of opioid overdoses is made available for free in a vending machine by the DuPage County Health Department at the Kurzawa Community Center on September 01, 2022 in Wheaton, Illinois. The vending machine is an attempt by the health department to reduce opioid overdose deaths in the county by making Narcan more accessible to the community. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Downey, California – Nine people were hospitalized Wednesday morning following a suspected drug exposure inside Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, marking the latest in a string of alarming incidents that continue to cast doubt on the safety and oversight of Los Angeles County’s juvenile justice system.
According to Vicky Waters, spokesperson for the L.A. County Probation Department, the incident occurred around 8 a.m. and involved “a suspected overdose and possible exposure to an unidentified substance.” Eight staff members and one youth in custody were affected. Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, was administered on site. Emergency responders transported all nine individuals to hospitals, and they remain in stable condition, with some already discharged.
By Wednesday afternoon, Los Padrinos remained on lockdown. Authorities confined youths to their rooms, and all visitation was suspended as Downey police, fire personnel, and hazardous materials teams responded to the scene.
Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Los Padrinos, said the exposure incident reflects a serious breach of protocol. “Youth in our care, probation staff, and medical staff were all possibly exposed to and sickened by a toxic drug that should never have been able to enter this facility,” she said. “We will get to the bottom of how this was allowed to happen.”
That question—how?—has become central to growing concerns about security and accountability inside the facility. Wednesday’s episode came just two days after a tutoring contractor, 21-year-old Alejandro Lopez, was arrested at Los Padrinos for allegedly bringing in 170 pills believed to be Xanax. He and a second individual, 18-year-old Orlando Cuevas, were charged Wednesday with possession of Xanax for sale.
In April, several youths overdosed at Los Padrinos shortly after probation staff discovered a sizable stash of Xanax inside the facility. And just last month, a probation officer at a separate juvenile facility was charged with smuggling the same drug.
Eduardo Mundo, chair of the county’s Probation Oversight Commission, acknowledged that while enforcement has become more aggressive—officers now use drug-sniffing dogs and even monitor for drone drops—drugs continue to breach the system. “We’re starting to catch people,” he said, but added, “The people who do bring drugs in… they’re having to be pretty creative.”
Los Padrinos remains under intense scrutiny. In May, more than 100 youths were ordered relocated from the facility after it failed multiple state inspections. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has floated the possibility of a state takeover of the entire L.A. County juvenile justice system—a response to years of scandals, overdoses, and accusations of systemic abuse.
