Heroin Burrito Gets Deputy 2 Years in Jail

By Andrew Lu on June 26, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

This sting operation involved a former reality television star and a heroin burrito filled with 24 grams of the drug.

Henry Marin once wanted to join the Los Angeles sheriff's department. He even tried out for the department on a short-lived reality show on Fox, reports the Los Angeles Times.

He didn't make the grade. Now just a few short years later, the 27-year-old will be headed to jail after receiving a two-year sentence for trying to smuggle drugs into prison inside a burrito.

There has been a long-standing problem of drugs and contraband inside Los Angeles prisons. It's been suspected that inside agents and corrupt officials have been helping fuel this black market with smuggled drugs and other contraband. As a result, the Los Angeles sheriff's task force set up a sting operation to stop these inside jobs.

With undercover sheriffs watching, Marin was caught accepting a bean-and-cheese burrito filled with 24 grams of black tar heroin at the Los Angeles Airport courthouse where Marin worked, reports the Times. The burrito was intended for an unidentified inmate.

For his part, Marin said he had no idea what was inside the burrito and his lawyer painted him as a patsy. However, facing three years in jail, Marin pleaded to reduced charges and was sentenced to two years for the heroin burrito smuggling scheme.

While Marin may have believed he was innocent, negotiating a plea deal may have made the most sense in light of the evidence against him. Generally, when making a deal, a defendant has to consider the evidence, possible jail time faced, and the attractiveness of the deal.

Henry Marin faced three years in jail for the heroin burrito scheme. His lawyer said Marin was duped, but rather than fighting it out in court, Marin agreed to a plea deal for only two years jail time.

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