Exclusive: Tri-Cities jailer, 6 others charged in inmate phone and drug smuggling ring

A Benton County corrections officer is accused of working with two women to smuggle drugs and cellphones to inmates.

Eric Christian is one of seven people indicted in federal court for the alleged illegal activities at the Kennewick jail.

Records show there is at least one additional defendant in the U.S. District Court case, though the person is not named.

Typically that information remains under seal to avoid tipping off the person before an arrest, or because they are cooperating with investigators and prosecutors.

Last fall, county officials confirmed to the Tri-City Herald that there was an open investigation into inmates obtaining banned items. They declined to release further details at the time because the case was still active.

The alleged smuggling ring was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Christian, 33, is no longer employed by Benton County. His personal LinkedIn account shows he had worked in the corrections facility since August 2016.

The other named defendants are: Lance Horntvedt Sr., 34; Alejandro Leon, 26; Joel Cervantes, 41; Giovanni Kinsey, 40; Alyssa Cantu, 24; and Marilou Martinez, 32.

Horntvedt, Leon, Cervantes and Kinsey were inmates in the jail, and Cantu and Martinez — who were not in custody — were responsible for delivering the contraband.

Smuggling conspiracy

The seven indictments, when pieced together, give a little more information into what happened, starting some time before Dec. 8, 2019, and continuing until April 2020.

“The object of the conspiracy was for the defendants to introduce cellular telephones and controlled substances, including: methamphetamine, heroin, buprenorphine (Suboxone) and marijuana into the Benton County jail,” documents state.

Suboxone is a prescription drug that can be used for pain, but also is a treatment for opioid addiction.

Horntvedt allegedly used cellphones, jail communications and text applications to arrange and instruct Cantu and Martinez to give phones and drugs to Christian.

Christian then brought the contraband inside the jail to Horntvedt, who in turn distributed the items to Leon, Cervantes and Kinsey, court documents state.

Horntvedt also kept some of the phones and drugs for his personal use, documents said.

The charges include conspiracy, providing and attempting to provide prohibited objects to an inmate of a prison, and inmate in possession of a prohibited object.

Some of the charges carry a maximum federal prison term of 20 years.

Christian initially was held in the Sunnyside city jail following his arrest, but now is out of custody awaiting trial.

Horntvedt is in the Franklin County jail awaiting trial on a sex trafficking and promoting prostitution case, along with a jail assault.

Cervantes and Martinez are being held in the Benton County jail as contract inmates on the federal case.

Leon is on a Marshals hold in the Yakima County jail for the federal case.

Kinsey is at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen, Wash.

Cantu was granted pretrial release and is out of custody.

This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 12:54 PM.