Felony Charges Filed in Drug Transportation Arrests
District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges against two Washington men for transporting large quantities of controlled substances through Tulare County.
According to police reports, just before 7:30 pm on Friday, June 24, 2022, Tulare County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Unit investigators were called to the area of Highway 99 and Tulare Ave. in Tulare to assist CHP Officers with a traffic stop. During a vehicle search, detectives found 151 packages, each containing 1,000 fentanyl pills. In total, 151,000 pills were found hidden inside the vehicle. The vehicle search also revealed two kilograms of cocaine.
Detectives arrested Jose Zendejas, 25, and Benito Madrigal, 19. The men were booked into custody on charges of transporting controlled substances. Utilizing the bail schedule established by the Tulare County Superior Court, based upon the volume of narcotics seized, bail was set at $1 million.
Less than 24 hours later on Saturday, June 25, 2022, the Tulare County Probation Department submitted a pre-trial risk assessment of the suspects to the Tulare County Superior Court. The assessment deemed the men as “low risk.” Based on this assessment, the court released the men on their own recognizance.
The Office of the District Attorney and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office were not consulted regarding the release.
On the afternoon of June 29, 2022, after further investigation, Sheriff’s detectives submitted police and evidence reports from the incident to the Office of the District Attorney for review. On June 30, 2022, prosecutors filed the following felony charges against both men:
One count of sale/transportation/offer to sell controlled substance – fentanyl, one count of transport for sale/non-contiguous county – cocaine with the special allegations that the weight exceeded one kilogram, one count of sale/transportation/offer to sell controlled substance – cocaine with the special allegations that the weight exceeded one kilogram, and one count of false compartment activity.
If convicted on all counts, each defendant faces up to 14 years in state prison.
Following today’s case filing, prosecutors requested a court hearing regarding bail. At the hearing in Department 10, Judge Nathan Leedy rescinded the prior release on own recognizance order and issued arrest warrants for the men. The court also set bail at $2.15 million. An appearance date of July 21, 2022, remains scheduled.
This is an active investigation. If the public has information regarding these defendants or their whereabouts, contact the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.
Media inquiries can be directed to the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare Public Information Officer Stuart Anderson (559) 636-5494