Tulare County traffic stop uncovers cartel link, new meth and fentanyl processing method

A deputy sheriff’s traffic stop in Pixley for a minor offense early in January led authorities to a major bust of methamphetamine and fentanyl, as well as a new method of converting the chemicals for street sales, authorities said Thursday.

Saul Ontiveros, 24, of Pixley, and Eduardo Garcia, 20, of McFarland, are each being held on a bail of $3 million after the deputy with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office pulled over their car for what might have amounted to a fix-it ticket.

Instead, authorities said the deputy called for backup when he spotted a white powdery substance through the back window. That led to searches of the car and two buildings, and the recovery of 160 pounds of methamphetamine, another 200 pounds of the drug in liquid form and 300 fentanyl tablets, according to a federal indictment.

U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott said Thursday that the seizure also shows how Mexican-based cartels are adapting smuggling strategies: Instead of manufacturing the drugs in Mexico and smuggling them in bulky packages, they are shipping the contraband in liquid form to evade border searches. It’s then processed in so-called conversion labs, this time in rural Tulare County locations.

“It’s the latest gambit,” Scott said.

Fentanyl crisis

Scott said the 300 seized fentanyl tabs posed a special danger, because the drug is lethal in small quantities and there is no quality control in the processing of drugs — often bought by those who believe they are getting pharmaceutical-quality oxycodone tablets.

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said the sale of the illegal drugs fuels the homeless and mental health crisis in California.

“This investigation is continuing,” he added. “We are not done.”

Tim Ward, Tulare County District Attorney, noted that those arrested for charges faced by Garcia and Ontiveros face minimum 10-year prison terms. In practice, however, Ward said they serve far less because of new leniency in California drug laws.

Scott, the U.S. Attorney, pointed to the demand for illegal drugs as the source of the crime.

“At its heart, this is an American issue,” he said. “Drugs are not harmless.”