Two men arrested on Friday for possessing up to 150,000 fentanyl pills worth approximately $750,000 were released from custody the following day, according to authorities.
Jose Zendejas, 25, and Benito Madrigal, 19, of Washington state, were arrested in Tulare County, California, at around 7:30 p.m. on Friday after California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers pulled them over in the area of Highway 99, according to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO).
The Tulare County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Unit was called in to assist the CHP in the traffic stop and, in their investigation, found 150 packages, each of 1,000 Fentanyl pills, for a total of 150,00 pills, the TCSO said in their press release. That number of pills would be enough to “kill millions of people,” according to Fox News.
“Each pill sells for approximately $5, making the street value of the seizure $750,000,” the press release stated.
After being booked in the Tulare County Pre-Trial Facility, the two suspects were released from custody on Saturday, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office said.
The District Attorney’s Office made clear in a statement on Monday that they had nothing to do with Zendejas and Madrigal being released and is ready to help the TCSO “in any capacity moving forward.” The office asked that further inquiries as to why the two alleged drug traffickers were released be directed to the Tulare County Probation Department (TCPD).
They were reportedly released because of a court order by a judge who performed a “risk assessment,” Fox New’s Bill Melugin reported in a tweet Monday.
UPDATE: The Tulare County Sheriffs Office just announced that these two alleged fentanyl traffickers were both released from jail on their own recognizance as a result of a court order from a judge who did a "risk assessment". Sheriff says he strongly disagrees w/ their release.
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) June 28, 2022
Breitbart News reached out to the TCPD probation for comment and was told the office is “still gathering information on the matter” and that they will release a statement soon.
In an appearance on Fox New’s America’s Newsroom, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux stated he was “infuriated” he only found out the two suspects were released on Monday, despite them being released on Saturday.
“This assessment was done behind the scenes, basically without ever contacting me as the sheriff or even asking me what I believe the risk to our public safety would be,” Boudreaux said on the program.
The sheriff went on to hammer the criminal justice system in the state, which led to the two suspected fentanyl traffickers being released.
“California’s system of justice is failing us all,” Boudreaux said. “Law enforcement up and down the state of California is frustrated.”
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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