Record amount of drugs seized, 28 arrested during operation in Madera County

Deputies made the largest drug seizure in Madera County history and almost 30 arrests following the conclusion of an operation, the Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Called Operation Trifecta, the effort confiscated about 1,300 pounds of methamphetamine, four kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of fentanyl, Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue said during a news conference.

“This is a monumental day for public safety in Madera County,” he said.

The people arrested over a three-week period that culminated Oct. 26 were all residents of California or Mexico, he said.

The drugs were seized during two separate traffic stops and at a meth conversion lab in Ducor, a Tulare County community south of Porterville, Pogue said.

Labs were also discovered in Fresno and Madera counties, as well as a second Tulare County location, law enforcement said.

Officials said the amount of meth taken would have amounted to 5 million doses.

Those arrested — 28 in all — potentially face felony and misdemeanor crimes related to the manufacture, transportation and sale of meth, authorities said. Law enforcement officials also accuse others of child endangerment.

Those still in custody are held in lieu of bail that ranges from $500,000 to $10 million, according to officials. Some could face federal charges.

District Attorney Sally Moreno said the majority remain in custody.

“We’ve taken this organization all the way down,” she said. “(Madera) will stand firm in fighting drugs.”