3 arrested for smuggling drugs into Tulare County jails, deputies say

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Tulare County Sheriff's Office has arrested four people accused of smuggling drugs into local jails.

Not long ago, investigators say a sergeant noticed a piece of suspicious mail and a K-9 detected narcotics.

They say methamphetamine was either being sprayed on the paper or the mail was dipped into the drugs.

On Thursday, deputies served a search warrant at a home on Rinaldi Street in Visalia.

"There was approximately 9 oz of cocaine, 4.7 oz of methamphetamine, .8 oz of suspected fentanyl and about a pound of marijuana. In addition to that, there were four firearms located. One of those firearms was reported stolen, and the other was registered to an individual who was not at the residence," said Tulare County Sheriff's Sgt. Jerry Neves

58-year-old Mary Sandling-Kinser, 23-year-old Arthur Seals and 31-year-old Kaileen McGarrah of Visalia were arrested.

On Friday, 47-year-old Alishia Seals of Visalia was also arrested in connection to the case.

All four people are facing multiple charges, including drug possession and drug sales.

"We can't say with 100% certainty that we have arrested everyone involved in this. So, we are going to do our best to link anyone else to this. And if we are able to find enough evidence to prosecute them, we will," said Sgt. Neves.

Sgt. Jerry Neves is one of the investigators on the case.

He says although catching the suspected criminals has been a rewarding part of his job.

Attempts by smugglers to get drugs into jails are more common than we realize and happen at least once a week.

"The biggest danger is the danger of overdose. Ultimately, we are responsible for each one of these inmates in our custody, so we gotta ensure that we foster the safest environment for them, and if that's preventing drugs coming into this facility, that's what we are gonna do," said Sgt. Neves.

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