Arizona correctional officer arrested on drug smuggling charges in California

Perry Vandell, Arizona Republic
·2 min read
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An Arizona correctional officer for a private prison who also serves in the Army National Guard was charged with multiple felonies after authorities found he was smuggling 23 kilograms of methamphetamine and one kilogram of heroin inside his car's gas tank while traveling with his wife and three children on Tuesday.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office announced on Friday that a California Highway Patrol officer stopped 34-year-old Fernando Urrutiaguillen of Chandler on Interstate 5 in Irvine and had a K-9 unit search the vehicle after growing suspicious of him. Not long after, the K-9 unit found the drugs inside the vehicle's gas tank, which authorities say Urrutiaguillen stashed in Mexico and smuggled into the United States.

It was not immediately clear why the officer was suspicious of Urrutiaguillen or the reason for the vehicle stop.

Authorities don't believe Urrutiaguillen's family were aware of the smuggling.

Urrutiaguillen has been charged with the following:

  • Two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.

  • Two felony counts of sale or transport of a controlled substance.

  • Two felony enhancements of a controlled substance in excess of 20 kilograms.

  • Two felony enhancements of possession of a substance exceeding one kilogram.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office said Urrutiaguillen faces up to 21 years and four months in prison if convicted on all counts. He has pleaded not guilty.

"This individual not only put his wife and three young children in incredible danger, he put another black mark on every upstanding law enforcement officer who works tirelessly to protect Americans from the very drug dealers he was doing business with," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a written statement.

It was not immediately clear which prison Urrutiaguillen worked at.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ corrections officer arrested on drug smuggling charges in California