News - Local

Published: Thursday, Jun. 18, 2009

California Men's Colony at center of alleged drug ring; 21 people are arrested

Three prison employees and an inmate are among those suspected of narcotics trafficking and conspiracy

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Twenty-one people were arrested this week on a range of charges relating to alleged narcotics trafficking and plans to smuggle illegal drugs into the California Men’s Colony, law enforcement officials announced Wednesday.

Those arrested in the alleged ring included members of a local gang, employees of the California Department of Corrections and a Los Angeles grade-school teacher.

They are suspected of bringing large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana from Mexico for sale to a network of private customers; authorities also allege the suspects planned to sell drugs to CMC inmates.

No drugs were ever found in the prison in connection with this case, said Lt. Dean Spears, CMC’s spokesman.

The investigation, which included surveillance, took four months to complete. Authorities wouldn’t specify how the operation was coordinated or the specific amounts of the drugs seized.

Those arrested allegedly were operating inside as well as outside the prison; authorities began investigating the involvement of California Department of Corrections staffers after receiving a tip.

The arrested teacher, 32-year-old Guadalupe Ruiz of Los Angeles, is suspected of targeting CMC inmates for sales of drugs, law enforcement officials said.

Ruiz allegedly was found in possession of narcotics, but not at the prison, the authorities said.

An investigation into the activities of Ruiz, who was visiting an inmate in the prison, helped lead authorities to make the arrests, Spears said.

All three CMC employees who were arrested had transferred from the El Paso de Robles Youth Correctional Facility in August 2008 when that facility shut down, Spears said. Each is accused of transportation and sale of a controlled substance as well as other crimes, including conspiracy to commit a crime.

One of them, 46-year-old former correctional officerLuciano Jose Arano Jr., was on the CMC’s books but never actually worked at the prison. He had been put on administrative leave for a previous alleged violation before his transfer from the Paso Robles youth facility, Spears said.

Alexander Ruben Morones, 52, allegedly had drug residue in his vehicle at the CMC. And Lynnette Elaine Thompson, 39, is being accused of willful cruelty to a child in addition to her drug-related charges.

Morones and Thompson — who had been working at the prison until recently — have been placed on administrative leave.

An outstanding $500,000 bail warrant is out for 49-year-old Federico Solorio Pineda of the Los Angeles area. Pineda is suspected of sale of controlled substances.

Authorities wouldn’t specify how many of the suspects are believed to be gang members or reveal the name of the gang with which they’re allegedly involved because they didn’t want to glorify the gang’s activities, officials said.

County sheriff’s detectives and members of the California Department of Corrections, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and county Narcotics Task Force served search warrants at 11 locations within the county on Monday and Tuesday, netting the arrests.

Authorities dubbed the investigation Operation Broken Badge. They believe the ring had been operating for several years.

“It is always difficult when law enforcement agencies have to take direct action to arrest their own employees for alleged misconduct; however, we must preserve the public trust and take decisive action each time a situation of this kind is detected,” Sheriff Pat Hedges said.

A grand jury will decide whether to indict the men and women arrested in the investigation, officials said. Nineteen of the 21 suspects are from the North County.

Operation Broken Badge yields 21 arrests

The following people were arrested this week on charges ranging from conspiracy to commit a crime to transportation and sale of controlled substances:

• Luciano Jose Arano Jr., 46, Paso Robles

• Lisa Kay Arano, 43, Paso Robles

• Jose Antonio Holguin, 25, Paso Robles

• Toby Jean Holguin, 35, Paso Robles

• Alexander Ruben Morones, 52, Paso Robles

• Abraham Enrique Martinez, 32, Paso Robles

• Carlton Allen Pickens, 44, Paso Robles

• Darla Lynn Reece, 46, Paso Robles

• Elisa Christina Espinoza, 24, Atascadero

• Lynnette Elaine Thompson, 39, Templeton

• Erin Jacqueline Sprouse, 35, Paso Robles

• Teena Marie Shaw, 36, Paso Robles

• Kari Jean Sorensen, 30, Paso Robles

• Donald John Margetta, 60, Atascadero

• Josefat Soloria, 71, Paso Robles

• Michael Lewis Kemak, 47, Paso Robles

• Guadalupe Ruiz, 32, Los Angeles

• Ramiro Soto Valdez, 39, CMC inmate

• Olmeda Jose Juan Gonzalez, 38, Paso Robles

• Deborah Jean Spickert, 47, Atascadero

• Joseph Aloysius Farley, 45, Templeton