San Quentin Guard Gets 37 Months For Meth Smuggling To Inmates

BAY AREA, CA — A former San Quentin janitor who prosecutors said hid methamphetamine in a hollowed-out peanut butter jar will serve 37 months in federal prison after admitting he accepted more than $100,000 to smuggle contraband to inmates.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston sentenced Keith Randle, 57, of Vallejo, on Oct. 30. She also imposed three years of supervised release and ordered him to forfeit $55,210. Randle will begin serving his sentence Jan. 5, 2027.

Randle pleaded guilty May 15 to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

Randle admitted in his plea agreement that he charged approximately $1,000 per item to smuggle methamphetamine, marijuana, tobacco, and other contraband into San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, formerly San Quentin State Prison.

The scheme ran from at least January 2019 through Aug. 15, 2024, when authorities caught Randle inside the prison with the jar containing 301 grams of methamphetamine, as well as marijuana. The painted, sealed jar appeared full and unopened.

Randle initially accepted payments directly from inmates. Fearing investigators would uncover the scheme, he began collecting payments from inmates’ associates instead.

From January 2019 through April 2020, inmates’ associates paid Randle $31,000 through PayPal. From July 2021 through August 2022, an inmate’s wife paid him approximately $40,926 through Cash App to smuggle contraband to her husband.

Randle primarily accepted cash in 2023 and 2024. Federal agents seized $55,210 from his two residences on Oct. 1, 2024. He admitted the money came from the scheme and said he used illicit proceeds to buy cars, motorcycles, and other assets.