The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department discovered narcotics in the Morongo Basin Station jail cells on Wednesday, officials said.
The station is adjacent to the Joshua Tree Courthouse, and the cells are “routinely used to temporarily house inmates from other county court facilities who are scheduled for court appearances,” the SBSD said in a news release.
With the help of a K-9 unit, deputies found mail that was sent to an inmate at the station and “contained suspected narcotics.”
Possessing narcotics in prison or jail is a felony and can result in a sentence of up to four years of incarceration.
The identity of the inmate has not been disclosed, and “further laboratory analysis” will confirm what substance the suspected narcotics are.
Deputies said this isn’t the first time they’ve found drugs in cells.
“Using canine drug detection dogs and advanced investigation techniques, the team has successfully intercepted multiple attempts to bring illegal substances into county jails and state prisons,” the release said.
