Fentanyl bust during Highway 99 traffic stop may be one of Valley’s largest, CHP says
CORRECTION: The original version of this story incorrectly reported the location of the traffic stop. It happened in Tulare.
A driver and passenger were arrested in Tulare recently after California Highway Patrol officers found around 37 pounds of packages containing fentanyl in the vehicle.
CHP says it’s one of the largest fentanyl busts of its kind in the region in recent memory.
On June 24 at about 7 p.m. a CHP officer stopped a 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor on northbound Highway 99 at Tulare Street for obstructed view and following too close violations, according to CHP Officer Eric Zuniga.
The officer was given consent to search the vehicle and called upon CHP K-9 “Bruce” to sniff the vehicle. The CHP said Bruce alerted the officer to the possible odor of narcotics.
The officer searched the vehicle and located plastic containers in the back seat filled with the packages containing the suspected fentanyl pills, according to a news release.
The driver, identified as Jose Zendejas, 25, and passenger, identified as Benito Madrigal, 19, both of Yakima, Washington, were arrested on suspicion of possession of narcotics for sale and transporting narcotics across non-contiguous counties, according to the CHP.
Both men were later released from the Tulare County Jail on their own recognizance. The releases were court-ordered after a review of each man’s file, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Ashley Schwarm said.
This story was originally published June 28, 2022 at 5:03 PM.