A DETAINEE, Abigail Renee Duenas, was caught by a Corrections officer in possession of methamphetamine in her prison cell.
Duenas, 25, was charged with promoting major or minor contraband into a prison, and illegal possession.
Today, Wednesday, Duenas will appear before Superior Court Associate Judge Lillian A. Tenorio for a preliminary hearing.
Judge Tenorio imposed a $5,000 cash bail on the defendant at a bail hearing on March 19, 2024.
The court appointed Assistant Public Defender Karie Comstock to represent Duenas while Assistant Attorney General Heather Barcinas appeared for the government.
The incident
On March 14, 2024, a Corrections-Internal Affairs officer called the Department of Public Safety to report an illegal possession incident.
Duenas told investigators that she was booked at Corrections on Feb. 9, and was charged with theft. She was released on Feb. 24.
Duenas said she was scheduled to return to Corrections on Feb. 29 at 4 p.m. to start her segmented sentence.
According to the defendant, before she was released on Feb. 24, she was approached by two other female inmates who knew she was returning on Feb. 29.
She said the two other female inmates instructed her to smuggle methamphetamine for them when she returns. Duenas said she was afraid of the two and agreed to what they requested.
Duenas said she contacted her brother-in-law and requested methamphetamine. On Feb. 28, she said she received from him a clear Ziploc bag that contained a white crystal-like substance.
When she arrived in the Corrections booking area on Feb. 29 at 4 p.m., Duenas said she hid the Ziploc bag in her underwear. She said a Corrections officer searched her but did not see the Ziploc bag. She was then escorted to the female section B area.
Duenas told investigators that she was unable to hand over the Ziploc bag to the two other female inmates as they were in Section C so she hid the Ziploc bag in her cell.
On Monday, March 4, an officer conducted a cell search. Duenas said she knew the Corrections officer would find the Ziploc bag so she told the officer that she had drugs in her cell. The Corrections officer searched Duenas’ cell block and found the Ziploc bag containing white substance and confiscated it. The officer surrendered the Ziploc bag to her shift commander who later informed Corrections-Internal Affairs.
The white crystal-like substance in the Ziploc bag was tested and returned positive for methamphetamine.
