SAN ANTONIO — A former Bexar County deputy was arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs to a jail inmate for payment, Sheriff Javier Salazar said Monday evening.
The arrest is the culmination of a two-month investigation into 21-year-old Mario Sepulveda that began with an initial tip on June 21. Investigators began monitoring communications between Sepulveda, the inmate in question and a third party.
"We were able to determine what inmate he was involved with, and that they were using a third party outside the facility – somebody that inmate was in a romantic relationship with – that was able to facilitate the transactions," the sheriff said.
The investigation gained steam when deputies intercepted phone calls and uncovered "a rudimentary code" to determine how the substances in question were to be brought in, including via a pizza box in at least one instance. A search of the inmate's cell revealed synthetic marijuana and meth "stuffed inside a mattress."
Sepulveda, who was still a probationary deputy after starting with the force in April of 2021, was eventually fired on July 18 after a search of his car yielded "corroborating evidence" to connect him to the alleged operation. It wasn't until this week that authorities had enough evidence to obtain an arrest warrant.
Sepulveda has been slapped with multiple felony charges, while the unidentified inmate was charged with possession.
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