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The Republic
- A paralegal, Christopher Byers, was arrested after being accused of smuggling drugs into the Fourth Avenue Jail, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said.
- “Items of evidence” were found during a search of Byers’ home.
- Several inmates were found to be in possession of drug-laced papers.
A paralegal was arrested after being accused of attempting to smuggle drugs into the Fourth Avenue Jail, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in a news release.
Christopher Byers tried to smuggle drugs into the jail through contaminated paperwork, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Paperwork submitted by Byers for an inmate was discolored, and when tested for drugs, it was found to be positive for synthetic cannabinoids, said the Sheriff’s Office.
Byers was subsequently arrested by a Sheriff’s Office drug task force, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
A search warrant was executed at Byers’ residence, where “items of evidence” were found, the Sheriff’s Office said.
A K-9 found several inmates at the Fourth Avenue Jail were already in possession of papers that tested positive for the drugs, according to the news release, according to the Sheriff’s Office. It was not clear how those drugs had been smuggled into the jail.
“Keeping drugs out of our jail facility is one of my highest priorities,” said Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan in the news release.
The investigation remained ongoing, and charges were pending for the inmates involved, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Byers was listed under an official directory for paralegals in Maricopa County date June 3, 2025.
Attempts to reach the listed email and phone number were unsuccessful.
In July, the Sheriff’s Office started using X-ray machines to stop drugs from being smuggled into the jails.
Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@gannett.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.