Butte County Jail search uncovers nearly 10 grams of black tar heroin, ‘pruno’ and more
Deputies discovered drugs and other contraband while searching a housing unit at the Butte County Jail, authorities said Monday.
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office said the drugs and other items were found during a random search of the Northern California jail Friday morning. During a cursory pat-down search of David Weston, a 39-year-old inmate, deputies located about 9.7 grams of black tar heroin, 12 packages of Suboxone strips and multiple unknown crushed pills concealed on his person, authorities said.
The Sheriff’s Office said Weston had recently been remanded to custody following a court appearance. Authorities believe Weston smuggled the drugs into the jail by hiding them inside his body, knowing he would be taken into custody.
Authorities determined Weston was furnishing drugs to other inmates in exchange for money deposited to his inmate account. Weston now faces additional charges of illegal transportation of a controlled substance for sale and illegal sales of narcotics, authorities said.
The Sheriff’s Office said deputies conduct routine searches for weapons and other contraband to ensure the safety of inmates, civilian contractors and jail staff.
During Friday’s search, they also located about three gallons of “pruno,” an alcoholic beverage commonly made by inmates using fruits and other ingredients obtained from meals served in the facility. Deputies also found a three-inch bolt with a sharpened paperclip affixed to the end, a tool that was likely being used to apply jailhouse tattoos, authorities said.
Authorities are investigating to determine who those items belonged to.
