5 arrested after $1.7 million in drugs found in Tulare County homes

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A major drug bust in Tulare County ended in several arrests and the seizure of $1.7 million in drugs.

The Tulare County Sheriff's Office teamed up with more than a dozen other agencies to target a drug-trafficking organization operating out of Earlimart.

The drug bust included thousands of fentanyl pills and led to the arrests of five suspects, Jesus Candelario Beltran Lopez, Miguel Vega, Benito Hermosillo German, Juan Pulido-Rocha and Rafael Murillo Garcia.

Authorities say they found over $1.7 million worth of drugs, including crystal meth, cocaine and heroin.

"It's not a shocking discovery, definitely not a shocking discovery. It is a bit, but they're happening more than I think people realize," says Ashley Ritchie with the Tulare County Sheriff's Office.

They also seized more than 62,000 fentanyl pills.

"We see overdoses and deaths every day. So, task forces like these are extremely important, especially in the area where we are exposed to freeways or drugs are brought in every single day," mentioned Ritchie.

Earlimart sits right off Highway 99 and is an hour away from Interstate 5, two busy corridors used by drug and human traffickers.

"These operations are extremely important to mitigate the drugs brought in every single day across the border and being in the hands of your loved ones," explained Ritchie.

The operation followed a three-month investigation involving 14 federal, state, and local agencies working together.

This includes the FBI, CHP, various police departments and the Tulare County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Taskforce.

"It is not an easy task because there's so much drugs, and we were doing everything we can to come, but we have people that work 24 hours a day trying to track down where the drugs are," Ashley mentions.

Authorities say it's also important for families to talk with their children and loved ones about the dangers of drugs.

"I believe having an open conversation with your children about the dangers that are out there is crucial because you don't know who they're talking to on the Internet, you don't know who they're talking to at school or what they're being told. It's very important," expressed Ritchie.

The task force also found $10,000 in cash and over $180,000 in stolen property.

The sheriff's office says these operations are happening all the time, and their goal is to keep people in this community safe.

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