State Prison for Transportation of Fentanyl, Drug and Gun Crimes
On April 22, 2026, in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Angel Ramiro Pando, age 29, to 5 years and 8 months in prison for drug and firearm crimes after his January conviction.
On March 19, 2024, Pando transported approximately 6,000 “M30” counterfeit fentanyl pills, valued at $60,000, to a Visalia UPS store. The pills were destined to a location in the state of Georgia but were intercepted by the Visalia Police Department’s Narcotics Unit. A fingerprint identifying Pando was found on one of the packages containing the pills. In an intensive investigation over the next four months, officers discovered Pando maintained a large marijuana grow in a mobile home in an unincorporated part of Tulare. The marijuana grow contained 350 plants. During the search, officers also located a concealed, unregistered, and loaded firearm near the steering column of Pando’s vehicle.
At trial In January, a jury convicted Pando of transportation to sell a controlled substance (fentanyl) with the special allegations that doing so carried the threat of great bodily injury and that the quantity of the contraband was large. Additionally, he was convicted of carrying a loaded handgun on his person and having a concealed firearm in his vehicle, with the special allegations that the firearm was unregistered. Pando was also convicted of maintaining a place for selling a controlled substance, possession of cannabis for sale, and cultivating more than six cannabis plants. The court found that Pando was on probation (DUI) during the crimes.
Prosecutors argued for the maximum sentence of 6 years, 4 months allowed under the law.
“Had this crime been committed after the passage of Proposition 36, the defendant would face an additional seven years behind bars for that amount of deadly fentanyl,” said District Attorney Tim Ward. “This conviction is a great example of the collaboration between law enforcement and prosecutors to keep our communities safe.”
The case was prosecuted by deputy district attorney Max Warren and was investigated by the Visalia Police Department and the United States Drug Enforcement Agency.
Media inquiries can be directed to the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare Communications Director Stuart Anderson (559) 636-5494