California Prison Guard Kept Stash of Illegal Items to Plant and 'Find' So He Could Make Himself Look Good at Work

A former California prison guard is accused of keeping a stash of illegal items to plant and "find" to make himself look good at work, according to a report.

Avelino Ramirez has been indicted on charges of wire fraud after allegedly smuggling, planting, and then "discovering" contraband to appear successful in his role and boost his pay, according to a federal indictment filed in Northern California.

Ramirez, a K-9 officer with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), allegedly planted dozens of contraband items at San Quentin and the California Medical Facility in Vacaville over a three-year period, according to an indictment obtained by KTVU.

"Ramirez did so in order to hold himself out as a successful K-9 officer with the hope that it would help him obtain a promotion to K-9 sergeant and also to fraudulently inflate his salary through overtime pay for report writing following these false discoveries," the indictment alleges.

Ramirez's discovery rates far outpaced his colleagues, recovering 20 out of 28 contraband packages at San Quentin in 2022, with the next highest performing officer finding only two. The scheme earned him approximately $8,000 in overtime from 2021 until February 2023.

"Typically, the contraband Ramirez planted and then dishonestly discovered inside the
prison was methamphetamine (or substances resembling methamphetamine) and marijuana," the indictment states. "Although he also planted other types of contraband such as cocaine, drug paraphernalia, tobacco, other electronic devices, and weapons."

Ramirez reportedly kept the illicit items in his basement, often in sandwich bags and a stash of latex gloves, electrical tape, tin foil and clear plastic wrap. Using his knowledge of the prison system, he smuggled the drugs in undetected and strategically sent his colleagues to search other areas "in an effort to conceal his involvement in the scheme," the indictment claims.

Suspicious supervisors ultimately removed Ramirez from his post, after which there was a "dramatic reduction" in contraband discoveries.

He is currently not in custody, and no court date has been scheduled.