PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of a detention officer during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
MCSO Sheriff Paul Penzone says 26-year-old Officer Andres Salazar has been arrested after attempting to bring fentanyl pills and methamphetamine into Lower Buckeye Jail.
Officials believe Salazar attempted to bring approximately 100 pills inside the jail.
Salazar was hired by MCSO in October 2019.
MCSO says Salazar is facing charges of possession or use of a narcotic drug, promoting prison contraband, and transportation for sale.
Penzone says Salazar was intercepted in a parking lot after trying to accept $1,000 in exchange for narcotics.
MCSO says 194 inmates tested positive for some type of drug in 2022, and 172 inmates were taken to the hospital for drug exposure.
114 out of those 194 inmates tested positive for fentanyl last year.
According to MCSO, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner determined 17 in-custody deaths in 2022 in MCSO custody were either the result of an overdose or that drugs were a major contributing factor.
