Woman sentenced for smuggling in drugs which killed a prisoner

A woman who smuggled in a fatal amount of methamphetamine to an inmate who later died has been sentenced to two years in prison, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Johna Martinez-Meth visited inmate Adrian Sepulveda at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville in May of 2018, the CDCR said in a press release. Martinez smuggled in balloons filled with methamphetamine and gave them to Sepulveda, who was serving a life sentence with possibility of parole for second-degree murder, the release said.

Sepulveda suddenly died shortly afterward, and an autopsy revealed he had swallowed several balloons filled with the drugs, the CDCR said.

Investigators determined Martinez-Meth had visited him and searched her home in Clearlake, finding methamphetamine, balloons and glue, according to the release. She was arrested without incident.

Martinez-Meth pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Solano County Superior Court and was sentenced Feb. 21.

“CDCR is committed to stopping the flow of drugs into our prisons,” said Bryan Shill, deputy chief of CDCR’s Office of Correctional Safety, in the release.

“Our investigators will diligently pursue those who smuggle narcotics into any state correctional facility, and we will seek justice through aggressive prosecution of violators.”