Smuggling Drugs into Jail
February 4, 2026 – San Diego County Sheriff’s Office officials report that on November 12, 2025, deputies at the Sheriff’s Mail Processing Center intercepted three envelopes addressed to an incarcerated person at a San Diego County Sheriff’s detention facility.
Each envelope contained greeting cards later confirmed to be saturated with methamphetamine.
The Sheriff’s Detention Investigations Unit (DIU) launched a criminal investigation. Although the envelopes were not addressed to the intended recipient, investigators determined the true target of the drug‑laden mail was Kevin Ball (33).
Detectives identified Ajshanee Clariday (33) as the sender. Evidence showed Clariday and Ball conspired on the names to use, mailing timelines, drug sourcing and payment methods. Clariday ultimately mailed the methamphetamine‑soaked cards at Ball’s direction.
On December 12, 2025, DIU detectives arrested Clariday at San Diego County Probation on the following charges:
- Supplying controlled substances to an incarcerated person
- Bringing controlled substances into a jail
- Criminal conspiracy
Further investigation identified Fredrick Perez (55) as an accomplice who helped supply and prepare the methamphetamine‑saturated mail.
On January 27, 2026, DIU detectives, with assistance from deputies from the Community Policing and Problem-Solving (COPPS) Unit at the Santee Sheriff's Station, served a search warrant at a home in the 1000 block of Woodlawn Avenue in Chula Vista, where Perez was arrested on the following charges:
- Supplying controlled substances to an incarcerated person
- Bringing controlled substances into a jail
- Criminal conspiracy
Also at the home, detectives arrested Daniel Gracia (34) on an outstanding felony warrant from San Diego County. Outside the home, detectives contacted Luis Rios (44) and arrested him on drug-related charges.
On January 29, 2026, Ball, already in Sheriff’s custody on an unrelated case, was arrested for:
- Supplying controlled substances to an incarcerated person
- Bringing controlled substances into a jail
- Criminal conspiracy
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office reminds the public that sending controlled substances into a jail is a felony punishable by up to six years in custody.
Anyone with information about drugs being smuggled into detention facilities is encouraged to contact San Diego County Crime Stoppers at: www.sdcrimestoppers.org or (888) 580‑8477. You may remain anonymous.
Source & photos: San Diego County Sheriff’s Office
