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San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office deputies and correctional officers seized about 86 grams of suspected cocaine from a man being booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility on Monday, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies patrolling Millbrae around 11 a.m. on Nov. 17 arrested 36-year-old Jazz R. Svarda on an outstanding felony warrant. During the intake process at Maguire, staff used the facility’s body-scanning machine and discovered the drugs, officials said.
The suspected cocaine was confiscated and logged as evidence.
“I’m incredibly proud of our deputies and correctional officers for the vigilance they demonstrated and their daily commitment to ensure the safety of our correctional facilities,” newly appointed Sheriff Ken Binder said in a statement. “The intake process is a critical step in ensuring the safety of everyone within the facilities, for both staff and those incarcerated.”
Svarda was booked on the warrant and on additional charges: possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of cocaine base for sale, possession of a controlled substance in a correctional facility and providing false identification to an officer.
The presence of drugs in the county’s jails has been a frequent issue. In September, a woman incarcerated at the Maple Street Correctional Center died after another incarcerated person provided her drugs containing fentanyl that were allegedly smuggled into the facility. The Sheriff’s Office referred that case to the District Attorney’s Office for potential murder charges and has conducted additional sweeps since the death, which was the seventh in-custody death since January 2023.
“Fentanyl is a highly dangerous drug. Even the smallest amount can be deadly. We will not tolerate people bringing drugs into our facility and putting the safety of our employees, visitors and those in our custody at risk,” then-Sheriff Christina Corpus said at the time.
In October a parolee was also arrested for attempting to bring methamphetamine and a phone into the Maguire Correctional Facility.
The San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force is assisting with the ongoing investigation.
