It's not the first time this has happened. An L.A. County Sheriff's deputy even smuggled drugs into the jail using a burrito as cover (it didn't work).

Today prosecutors alleged that attorney Stephen Beecher tried to smuggle heroin via a greeting card intended for a client behind bars at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic. No go:

Beecher was re-arrested April 9 based on a felony warrant and today, according to a statement from the District Attorney's office, faces …

… two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime, one felony count of bringing drugs into jail, one felony count of transportation of a controlled substance and one felony count of bringing a firearm into a jail.


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The Sherman Oaks resident was released on bail today and was due back in court May 1, this time as a defendant.

Prosecutors allege that 20-year-old Jesus Antonio Duenas, in custody based on an attempted-murder allegation, and his girlfriend, 19-year-old Jessica Paredes, were in on the smuggling conspiracy.

Both have pleaded not guilty.

The D.A's office says Beecher was busted Dec. 28 trying to bring $30,000 worth of heroin to Duenas via “ironed and flattened” packages of the drug slipped inside a greeting card envelope. Authorities allege the girlfriend did the ironing.

The drugs were intended for a “Southside” criminal enterprise behind bars, prosecutors say.

Beecher faces 11 years behind those very bars if convicted; Duenas and Paredes would see nine.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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