SAN QUENTIN >> Federal prosecutors have been uncovering alleged crimes within the walls of California’s oldest prison, but they say the perpetrators had been living in the free world.

From late September to Halloween, two San Quentin employees — a custodian and now a corrections officer — have been charged with crimes related to alleged possession of drug contraband within the prison. The latest man to face charges is Avelino Ramirez, a K9 officer who excelled at finding contraband wherever he worked, because authorities say he was allegedly planting it first.

Ramirez was indicted on Oct. 31 on charges of committing wire fraud by allegedly racking up overtime and setting himself up for illicit pay raises by first planting contraband, then “discovering” it. This occurred not just at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center — formerly known as San Quentin State Prison — but also at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville where he previously worked, prosecutors allege.

When you take a look at Ramirez’s employment records, it is no wonder they drew suspicion; prosecutors say he outperformed colleagues by more than 10 times over. In 2022, for instance, Ramirez discovered contraband on 20 occasions. The next most-successful corrections officer found contraband twice that year, the indictment says.

In late September, a custodian at San Quentin named Keith Reindeer Randle was charged with possessing 300 grams of methamphetamine and a smaller amount of cannabis oil, drugs that were allegedly found inside a peanut butter jar in his backpack. Randle claimed the jar wasn’t his and that he was just on his way to return it when he was stopped and searched by a corrections sergeant that day, according to court records.

The search of Randle doesn’t appear to have been random, but authorities haven’t said whether they received a tip from someone in the prison.

Randle has been released from jail while his case is pending. Prosecutors filed an indictment against Ramirez nearly two weeks ago but he has yet to have his first court appearance, records show. He is not in custody.

Both the drug charges against Randle and the fraud charges against Ramirez carry a maximum 20-year penalty, according to court records.