37 Visitors to Prison Jailed in Surprise Drug Search

Sheriff’s deputies conducted surprise narcotics searches of visitors to the Peter Pitchess Honor Rancho in Castaic on Sunday and arrested 37 people, including one man carrying 45 balloon bags of heroin and two others driving stolen cars, authorities said.

Sunday’s search was the latest in a series in recent years aimed at curtailing a steady flow of narcotics and contraband into the minimum, medium and maximum security facility.

As 800 to 1,200 people drove into the parking lot, 35 deputies randomly selected about half the incoming cars for five-minute searches, according to Deputy Mike Ford.

Dogs Found Drugs

Using two dogs trained to sniff out narcotics, deputies confiscated 65 bags of heroin, two milliliters of liquid PCP, 16 grams of cocaine, 134 amphetamine pills, 50 pills of undetermined substance and small amounts of marijuana, Ford said.

Twenty women and 14 men were arrested for taking a narcotic substance into a jail facility--a felony offense. Each was held in lieu of $5,000 bail.

The man found to be carrying the 45 “dime bags” of heroin of undetermined value was arrested for possession of heroin for sale and also held in lieu of $5,000 bail, Ford said. The two people driving stolen cars were arrested for grand theft auto and each was held in lieu of $1,500 bail, Ford said.

Male visitors arrested were taken to county jail while women were taken to the Sybil Brand Institute for Women.

Warning Signs

The state penal code permits searches for contraband and narcotics of people entering correctional facilities. Two signs posted at the entrance to the rancho warn visitors that they are subject to unannounced searches, Ford said.

Sheriff’s deputies began searching visitors and their cars at 6:30 a.m. and continued until 2 p.m. It was the seventh such operation conducted at the facility, the last one being six months ago.

Nearly 4,000 inmates are housed at the honor farm. Visitors are allowed on Sundays and holidays and are bused to the visiting areas about 1 1/2 miles from the parking lot.