Smuggling Drugs Into Jail 

February 8, 2025 – San Diego County Sheriff’s Office officials report that a South Bay woman has been arrested on suspicion of mailing drug-laced letters to a San Diego County jail.

In January 2025, deputies assigned to the Sheriff's Mail Processing Center (MPC) intercepted mail intended for Herminio Cendejas (38), who is in custody at the George Bailey Detention Facility in Otay Mesa. Upon closer inspection, deputies located materials they believed to be soaked with narcotics. 

The Sheriff's Detention Investigations Unit (DIU) began a criminal investigation, which identified Destiny Gomez (27) as being responsible for mailing the packages containing the drugs to Cendejas at the George Bailey Detention Facility.

On Thursday, February 6, DIU Detectives served a search warrant at Gomez's home in Chula Vista. During the search, detectives located materials Gomez used to produce the drug laced mail, including methamphetamine in plain sight. 

Gomez was arrested on numerous charges, including sending a controlled substance into jail, conspiracy to commit a felony and felony child endangerment. She was booked into the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee.

A reminder from the San Diego County Sheriff's Office: sending a controlled substance into a jail is a felony with a penalty of up to six years in custody.

Source: San Diego County Sheriff’s Office