Riverside County sheriff's deputy arrested with over 40 pounds of drugs, department says

A Riverside County sheriff's deputy who worked in the county's jails was arrested Sunday after narcotics were found in his vehicle during a traffic stop, the department reported Monday.

Jorge Oceguera-Rocha, 25, was being held in jail on suspicion of three felonies, accused of transporting drugs with intent to sell them.

The sheriff's department did not say in its press release what kind of narcotics he had or how much. But jail booking records say he had over 44 pounds, an amount that under one state law can trigger an additional prison sentence of 15 years.

Oceguera-Rocha, a Banning resident, was pulled over on Interstate 10 at County Line Road in Calimesa on Sunday. The department did not report why he was pulled over or what police department stopped him.

He was booked into the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of three counts: possession of controlled substances for sale; transport of controlled substances; and possession of narcotics while armed with a loaded, operable firearm. He was being held on $1 million bail.

The department reported that Oceguera-Rocha was hired in April 2019 and was assigned to the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. He has resigned in lieu of termination.

Former sheriff's Capt. Michael Lujan, who worked for years conducting investigations for the department, said the amount of narcotics and the person's access to the county's jails indicates the arrest could be linked to a larger trafficking operation.

"Based on my experience as an investigator, it is reasonable to conclude that this is a large-scale operation," Lujan said by phone Monday. "The department needs to commit to investigating this thoroughly within its corrections bureau and whether or not this person was smuggling drugs into jail facilities, and selling to inmates, coworkers or the public."

Lujan was a political opponent of the incumbent sheriff, having challenged Chad Bianco in his 2022 re-election bid. Bianco won 61% of the votes to Lujan's 39%.

The California Office of the Attorney General is currently investigating the department in part because of a surge of deaths in recent years in the county's jails, many of which have been reportedly caused by drug overdoses. The Desert Sun reported last year that some of the deaths had not been reported to the attorney general as required by law, and when they were inaccurate information was provided. That investigation is ongoing.

Oceguera-Rocha's arrest comes days after another correctional deputy, Christian Heidecker, 32, was arrested and accused of extorting women who were on the county's monitored release program for sex. He was assigned to the Riverside Alternative Sentencing Program at the Coordinated Custody Management Unit in Banning. He was booked into the jail in Murrieta on Sept. 15, and was being held Monday on $1 million bail.

And another deputy, Brent Bishop Turnwall, was arrested on Sept. 13 for being in possession of and under the influence of drugs inside one of the county's jails, as reported by The Press-Enterprise. Turnwall was released on $5,000 bail the day of his arrest.

Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Riverside County sheriff's deputy accused of transporting drugs