2 ex-jail guards tried to smuggle meth into Bexar County Jail, officials say

Gabriel Robert Ortiz, Ruben Hernandez could face up to 20 years in prison

SAN ANTONIO – Two former detention officers at the Bexar County Jail tried to smuggle methamphetamine to inmates, federal officials said.

A federal grand jury indicted Gabriel Robert Ortiz, 29, and Ruben Hernandez, 26, with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute the drug, officials said.

Ortiz is also charged with three substantive counts of attempted possession with intent to distribute meth, officials said.

Hernandez is charged with one substantive count of attempted possession with intent to distribute meth.

WATCH: KSAT's Dillon Collier confronts Gabriel Robert Ortiz after he's released on bond

WATCH: KSAT's Dillon Collier confronts Ruben Hernandez after he's released on bond

If Ortiz and Hernandez are found guilty in a trial, they face up to 20 years in federal prison.

The defendants are alleged to have carried out the scheme from May 4 to June 22, officials said.

"I'm extremely disappointed," Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said about the arrests at a news conference.

The pair were probationary deputies and were immediately fired, Salazar said.

They graduated from the same academy class and were hired in July 2017.


About the Author:

David Ibañez has been managing editor of KSAT.com since the website's launch in October 2000.