3 Arpaio officers held in smuggling case
Seven other department employees are under investigation.
Three employees of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office have been arrested in a drug- and human-trafficking case, authorities said Tuesday.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio said a deputy and two female detention officers at the county’s largest jail facility were among 12 people taken into custody and accused of being in a Phoenix-based international drug-smuggling ring.
One of the detention officers, Marcella Hernandez, told authorities that she is eight months pregnant with the child of Francisco Arce-Torres, the alleged drug ring’s leader who court documents say is also a member of the Mexican Sinaloa cartel.
Deputy Ruben Navarette, Hernandez, and detention officer Sylvia Najera face felony charges. Seven other sheriff’s employees were being investigated.
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“Every organization, you’re going to find some people who do wrong,” Arpaio said. “It’s human nature.”