Alfredo Garcia came up with an idea to use his mom to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine into the Fresno County Jail for further distribution among inmates, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
Garcia, 27, called his mom, 53 year old Eva Romero, and hatched a plan to sneak the drugs into the jail inside a pair of athletic shoes. According to court documents, Garcia, Romero, and Leo Torres, 30, coordinated the effort in January.
Their plot was foiled, however, when law enforcement at the jail intercepted the shoes and found hidden compartments inside them concealing the heroin and methamphetamine, the Justice Department said.
Investigators uncovered the plan by listening to recorded jail calls.
On Thursday, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against all three suspects, charging them with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, said Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said in a news release.
Torres and Romero were also charged with distribution of controlled substances.
If convicted, the defendants each face up to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.
