Two people now face a felony charge in Cameron County. Deputies say marijuana got inside the county jail during a visit.
The Cameron County Sheriff's Office put out the two names this week. One is Victor Manuel Castillo, 27. He is an inmate at the jail. The other is Alejandra Maria Guevara, 23. She came to the jail to see him, the sheriff's office said.
Jail staff checked Castillo after that visit. They found what looked like drugs on him. A field test came back positive for marijuana, the sheriff's office said. That test is quick. Deputies run it on the spot.
That find started a case. Deputies went back and watched the jail camera video. They looked at the rest of the proof they had. Warrants then went out for both.
Deputies arrested Guevara at a home in Brownsville. Castillo did not have to be picked up. He was already locked up in the same jail.
Both are charged with the same crime. It is called having a banned drug inside a jail. In Texas that is a third degree felony. That charge can mean 2 to 10 years in prison. It can bring a fine too.
Drugs behind bars have been a sore spot in Cameron County all year. The cases keep coming, and each one comes a different way. One came through the mail. This one came through the visit room.
In May, the sheriff's office charged three people in a mail plan. Deputies said papers soaked in a lab made drug were mailed to the jail. The letters used fake law office letterheads. Jail staff caught one letter before it got to an inmate. It tested positive for the drug, deputies said.
Sheriff Manuel Trevino spoke about that May case. "If you conspire or assist in any way in introducing contraband into one of our detention centers, you will be arrested," he said.
The Brownsville jail has seen this before. In early 2024, the sheriff's office charged four people. Deputies found a bag on the roof of the detention center. Inside was a cell phone, a charger, bags of marijuana, THC vape cartridges and lighters, deputies said. Two of the four were inmates.
El Tejano covered another Cameron County jail drug case last month. A former worker at the Cameron County District Attorney's Office was charged with bringing drugs into the jail. You can read that story here: https://www.eltejanorgv.com/former-cameron-county-da-office-worker-arrested-on-drug-charges/
That case is not this case. The names are not the same. But the problem is.
The sheriff's office says it will keep making these cases. It said it stays "committed to maintaining the safety and security of our correctional facilities." It also said people who bring in illegal drugs will be "identified and held accountable."
The rules are strict for a reason. Drugs behind bars breed fights and debts. Guards can get hurt. Inmates can get hurt too. Some jail drugs are made in a lab and hit much harder than the plant. Staff often cannot tell what is in them by sight.
A jail visit is one of the few times an inmate touches the outside world. That is why staff watch it so close. Cameras were rolling that day. Officers search inmates when the visit ends. In this case, that search is what broke the story open, the sheriff's office said.
In Texas, a felony charge goes to a grand jury first. That panel then decides if the case moves ahead. A judge sets the court dates after that.
Castillo is still in the Cameron County jail. Guevara was arrested at a home in Brownsville. Both cases are young. Neither has gone to trial. No one has been found guilty of a thing.
A charge is not proof. Everyone is innocent until a court says otherwise.
