A tutor and a young man incarcerated at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey have been charged with smuggling scores of Xanax pills into the facility.
Downey resident Alejandro Lopez, 21, faces felony counts of bringing or sending a controlled substance into a juvenile hall and possession for sale of a controlled substance, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Prosecutors allege Lopez, a tutor with the nonprofit Student Nest, handed Long Beach resident and ward at the facility Orlando Cuevas, 18, “an electrical tape-wrapped bundle containing approximately 170 Xanax pills” on June 30.
As a result, Cuevas was charged with a felony count of unlawful possession for sale of a controlled substance.
Lopez pleaded not guilty on July 1, while Cuevas has not yet been arraigned.
If convicted, the men face up to three years in state prison.
“Our juvenile facilities must remain secure, drug-free environments where young people have a real chance at rehabilitation,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. “That responsibility applies to everyone — whether it’s a contractor on the outside or a youth on the inside. Anyone who participates in smuggling narcotics into these facilities will be held accountable. We will not allow illegal drugs to threaten the safety of our institutions or the futures of those entrusted to our care.”
The charges’ announcement comes the day after ambulances responded to Los Padrinos for reported overdoses, though it’s unclear what substances may have been involved in Wednesday’s incident.
In addition, a probation officer at Barry J. Nord Juvenile Hall in Sylmar was arrested last month for allegedly smuggling Xanax into the facility.
The post Tutor, ward at Los Angeles County juvenile hall smuggled in Xanax: LADA appeared first on KTLA.
