A parolee was arrested Saturday morning near the Claremont Correctional Center in Coalinga after he allegedly threw a soccer ball full of drugs and cell phones over the prison fence.
Correctional staff members had received a tip about the scheme beforehand and notified the Coalinga Police Department, which called the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.
Detectives went to the prison, which is operated by the city of Coalinga, and watched as a man threw a ball into the prison compound.
Authorities recovered the ball before inmates could get it, and they found Ecstasy pills, marijuana, tobacco, cell phones, batteries and chargers stuffed inside.
Two suspects, both from Oakland, were stopped nearby in their car and arrested. Antoine Enoch, 27, a parolee, is accused of tossing the ball. He and Janae Mason, 31, were booked into the Fresno County Jail.
Two people were arrested today for allegedly trying to smuggle contraband into the Claremont Correctional Center in Coalinga. This soccer ball and contraband were recovered after a Antoine Enoch allegedly threw it over the prison fence. It contained ecstasy pills, marijuana, tobacco, cellular telephones, spare batteries and chargers.
The two are charged with possession of illegal drugs for sale, smuggling narcotics into a correctional facility and transportation of illegal drugs for sale.
Using a soccer ball to smuggle drugs into a prison is uncommon, a sheriff's lieutenant said.
"It's kind of unique," said Lt. Rick Ko. "It's kind of new to us."
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