A former Riverside County sheriff’s correctional deputy accused of transporting 104 pounds of fentanyl pills in his private car came under suspicion during an investigation into Sinaloa cartel activities in the county, law enforcement authorities revealed.
Investigators had not previously explained how they came to target Jorge Oceguera-Rocha.
The apparent connection was made in a news release issued by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Riverside Police Department on Wednesday, April 25, announcing the arrests of 15 people in Operation Hotline Bling.
Officers with the DEA, Riverside Police Department and U.S. Postal Service Inspection Service seized 376 pounds of methamphetamine, 37.4 pounds of fentanyl, 600,000 fentanyl tablets, 1.4 kilograms of cocaine and seven firearms.
“During the course of the investigation, agents developed information regarding a corrupt Riverside County Correctional Deputy … ultimately assisting in the arrest of the deputy while he was in possession of 104 pounds of fentanyl pills,” the release said.
