Heroin smuggled inside burrito

A sheriff's deputy was accused of trying to get heroin into a courthouse jail inside a bean-and-cheese burrito.

In recent years, three Sheriff's Department guards have been convicted and a fourth fired in connection with smuggling or attempting to smuggle narcotics into jail for inmates.

The porous nature of the jails was highlighted last year when The Times revealed that FBI agents conducted an undercover sting in which a deputy was accused of taking $1,500 to smuggle a cellphone to an inmate working as a federal informant. Federal authorities are investigating reports of brutality and other misconduct by deputies.

In a sign of how serious officials consider the smuggling problem to be, the Sheriff's Department recently recorded a former deputy, now in state prison, as he explained what led him to help inmates sneak in heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine.

On Wednesday, Deputy Henry Marin, 27, surrendered to fellow deputies at the Sheriff's Department's South Los Angeles station in connection with the burrito smuggling case. He pleaded not guilty to charges of bringing drugs into a jail and conspiracy to commit a crime.

Authorities said Marin has been relieved of duty. He was released from custody Wednesday on $25,000 bail.

If you or someone you know is facing drug trafficking or other drug crime charges, the most important thing you can do is hire a criminal defense lawyer. Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Robert Helfend has over 20 years of experience and the resources to help fight your case. Contact his law office today for your best chance at a favorable outcome.