CMC Drug ring bust a bellwether of sloppy backgrounds? Staff-arrestees all displaced El Paso staff

California Men's Colony at center of alleged drug ring; 21 people are arrested
Three prison employees and an inmate are among those suspected of narcotics trafficking and conspiracy.

Twenty-one people were arrested this week on a range of charges relating to alleged narcotics trafficking and plans to smuggle illegal drugs into the California Men’s Colony, law enforcement officials announced Wednesday.

Those arrested in the alleged ring included members of a local gang, employees of the California Department of Corrections and a Los Angeles grade-school teacher.

They are suspected of bringing large quantities of methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana from Mexico for sale to a network of private customers; authorities also allege the suspects planned to sell drugs to CMC inmates...The investigation, which included surveillance, took four months to complete. Authorities wouldn’t specify how the operation was coordinated or the specific amounts of the drugs seized...Those arrested allegedly were operating inside as well as outside the prison; authorities began investigating the involvement of California Department of Corrections staffers after receiving a tip.

The arrested teacher, 32-year-old Guadalupe Ruiz of Los Angeles, is suspected of targeting CMC inmates for sales of drugs...All three CMC employees who were arrested had transferred from the El Paso de Robles Youth Correctional Facility in August 2008...Each is accused of transportation and sale of a controlled substance as well as other crimes, including conspiracy to commit a crime.

One of them, 46-year-old former correctional officer,Luciano Jose Arano Jr., was on the CMC’s books but never actually worked at the prison. He had been put on administrative leave for a previous alleged violation before his transfer from the Paso Robles youth facility...(Full text at SanLuisObispo.com)

We all know crime infiltrates prisons. And, while this phenomenon generally manifests itself in the form of prison gangs interacting with other criminals, when those criminals are in uniform it is most disturbing. In that context, all agencies involved, including CDCR, are to be commended.

Even so, 2 facts are indisputable: 1) CDCR does poor background checks and 2) CYA did an even shoddier job of it than antibellum CDC.

Now, Paco realizes this is likely to piss off DJJ staff but facts are facts. In any case, poor backgrounds do not mean all who are passed are dirty--it simply means SOME unqualified people get through...just as they did with CDC and just as they do in all agencies. No, the point is simply that CYA/DJJ does not screen peace officer applicants adequately and neither does the new, improved DORC. What happened at CMC is the manifestation of this fact.

Without doubt, the greatest concern here is the obvious organized crime conduit emanating directly from Mexico and terminating on CMC's yards and floors. It's bad enough when a rogue decides to peddle dope to a "trusted" convict or two--the infiltration of a drug cartel into a state prison is simply chilling. AND, chances are, it could have been avoided by a few well done, complete, diligent background investigations.

Jim Rowland, then the Director of Corrections, once told me CDC couldn't afford to conduct the standard 40 hour backgrounds. At the time, he said, the Department was "budgeted" 16 hours per candidate--Rowland stated the average number of hours expended was much lower than that. He explained that, at the time, CDC couldn't keep up with the demand--we couldn't "afford" to expend 16 hours of backgrounding either because the academies needed to be filled.

Here's irrefutable proof we can't afford the consequences of NOT doing proper backgrounds.