FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Ten people are arrested on federal charges as a large-scale drug trafficking operation is brought down in the South Valley.
Porterville Police called in the DEA and other agencies to assist during the two year investigation.
Homes in Porterville, Terra Bella, and Visalia were searched
On January 23, they busted the major operatives on drugs and weapons violations.
1. 39 year old Porterville resident Jesus Manuel Astorga
2. 45 year old Terra Bella resident Manuel De Jesus Delgado Montenegro
3. 46 year old Porterville resident Eleuterio Rosales Martinez
4. 31 year old Porterville resident Ricardo Andrade
5. 24 year old Porterville resident Jose Luis Carranza Robledo
6. 43 year old Porterville resident Miguel Angel Sanchez Calderon
7. 49 year old Porterville resident Olga Hernandez DeServin
8. 37 year old Visalia resident Pedro Garcia Miranda
9. 38 year old Visalia resident Ronnie Mesa
10. 37 year old Poplar resident Hector Antonio Ochoa-Ruiz
They are all in federal custody.
Ten firearms were confiscated during the raids along with $330-thousand dollars worth of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and 155 pounds of meth.
38 arrests were made on drug related charges.
All of these agencies, at one point or another and in different capacities, assisted with this investigation:
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration
The Tulare County Sheriff’s Department
The Tulare Police Department
The Visalia Police Department
The Exeter Police Department
The Tulare County District Attorney Bureau of Investigations
The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office
The Tulare County Auto Theft Task Force (TRATT)
The Southern Tri-County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (STC HIDTA)
The Tulare County Gang Task Force
The Selma Police Department
The Hanford Police Department
The Kern County Sheriff’s Department
The Kings County Sheriff’s Department
The United States Marshal’s Office
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
The California Highway Patrol
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Department
The Department of Homeland Security
The Federal Bureau of Investigations
The United States Attorney’s Office – Eastern District of California
