Wife arrested after trying to smuggle drugs to husband inside Nevada State Prison

The wife of a Nevada State Prison prisoner was arrested Saturday morning on suspicion of furnishing a controlled substance to a state prisoner.

According to a press release from the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, on Saturday morning Yolanda Pineda was arrested after bringing multiple bags of methamphetamine and a bag of heroin into NSP.

Earlier in the week, the General Investigators Office of Nevada Department of Corrections received information that a prisoner in custody at the Nevada State Prison arranged for a person on the outside to smuggle illicit drugs into the prison during visitor hours.

IG identified the prisoner placing the transaction as James Pineda, currently in custody, and the smuggler as his wife, Yolanda. IG monitored phone conversations between the two indicating Yolanda intended to smuggle the drugs into the prison to James during the prison's visiting hours.

James Pineda

 

The operation was completed by General Investigators Office of Nevada Department of Corrections (IG of NDOC), the Special Enforcement Team of the Carson City Sheriff's Office (SET of CCSO), and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit (DCSO K-9).

IG and SET units positioned in unmarked vehicles hidden in the prison parking lot, and the DCSO K-9 Unit was also staged at a nearby location in preparation for Yolanda's arrival. As Yolanda arrived at the Nevada State Prison parking lot, she was permitted to walk inside the visitor's area, where she was contacted and detained by IG and SET, the press release said.

DCSO K-9 responded to the parking lot and conducted an open-air sniff of Yolanda's vehicle, after which the handling deputy sheriff advised his K-9 partner indicated the presence of illicit drugs, specifically at the driver-side door where Yolanda exited the vehicle. SET searched the vehicle and discovered three cell phones they seized for evidence.

Inside the visitor's office, Yolanda released to the IG and SET detectives two bags of suspected methamphetamine and one bag of suspected heroin from her mouth. Yolanda admitted she had more bags concealed within her. SET transported her to the Carson City Jail, where a female deputy sheriff searched her, discovering three more baggies of suspected methamphetamine.

During IG's interrogation, James admitted to smuggling in illicit drugs the week prior and to his arrangement on this day.

Yolanda was arrested, and SET charged her with attempting to furnish a controlled substance to a state prisoner, Conspiracy to Violate the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, Possession of a Controlled Substance of More than 14 grams but Less Than 28 Grams, Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), and Possession of Controlled Substance (Heroin). The total recovery of illegal drugs was 19.6 grams of suspected methamphetamine and 3.4 grams of suspected heroin; bail was set at $20,000.