BREAKING: Two MCSO detention deputies arrested in fentanyl smuggling at jail
Sheriff says two deputies conspired to smuggle the deadly contraband into the Monroe County Detention Center on Stock Island; Vows transparency.
Two Monroe County Sheriff’s Office detention deputies were arrested Friday for allegedly conspiring to smuggle approximately six grams of fentanyl into the Stock Island Detention Center.
Deputy Alex Caminero, 38, and Deputy James Gregory Gardner, 52, were each charged with nine felony counts of public order crimes, drug trafficking, smuggling contraband into a detention facility and bribery according to their arrest records on the MCSO website.
The arrests follow an investigation by the Sheriff’s Office. Both deputies have been placed on administrative leave without pay pending pre-termination hearings.
Sheriff Rick Ramsay emphasized transparency in a statement released on the MCSO Facebook page.
“I remain committed to keeping the public informed of every important event that happens at the Sheriff’s Office — both positive and negative.,” said Ramsay.
The comments echoed Ramsay’s previous stance during the drug theft scandal involving narcotics stolen from Trauma Star helicopters by flight nurse Lynda Rusinowski in the joint medivac program, a partnership between the MCSO and the Monroe County Fire Department.
Investigations into the alleged smuggling and how the fentanyl entered the detention center are ongoing according to MCSO.
This is an evolving story. Watch this space.