Watsonville man sentenced for smuggling drugs into Monterey County Jail

A Watsonville man has been sentenced to 32 months in state prison for smuggling drugs into the Monterey County Jail.

39-year-old Carlos Lopez Pacheco attempted to sneak in marijuana and cigarettes into the facility in July. Officials say Pacheco had turned himself into the jail to serve a relatively short sentence, for which he would have been eligible for home confinement or other custodial alternatives. This made deputies suspicious and when they searched Pacheco, they discovered the smuggled contraband.

Monterey County Superior Court Judge Carrie M. Panetta sentenced Pacheco to a term of 16 months in prison, which was doubled to 32 months pursuant to the Three Strikes Law. Pacheco had two prior strikes from 2010 for making a criminal threat and dissuading a witness.