DELANO, CA – Ernesto Zibray, 34, of Delano, admitted today to flooding Kern County streets with methamphetamine. Zibray pleaded guilty to distribution of over 500 grams of the highly addictive drug, a charge stemming from the sprawling Operation Red Reaper investigation.
U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced the guilty plea, a significant win in a case that exposed the deep reach of the Nuestra Familia prison gang. Operation Red Reaper, a months-long collaborative effort between multiple law enforcement agencies, uncovered a network responsible for large-scale drug trafficking, firearms offenses, and violent crime across Kings and Tulare Counties. To date, the operation has resulted in three federal cases and charges against 23 individuals.
Court documents reveal that on May 6, 2019, Zibray, already on probation for a prior offense, knowingly handed off two pounds of methamphetamine to his co-defendant, Tiffany Feller, in Delano. Law enforcement moved quickly, conducting a traffic stop on Feller’s vehicle moments later. A search of the car turned up the illicit shipment, directly linking Zibray to the distribution. He was arrested in June 2019 and has now finally admitted his guilt.
The investigation was a coordinated strike by the Kings County Gang Task Force, the California Department of Justice, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the FBI, the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Kimberly A. Sanchez are leading the prosecution, determined to dismantle the criminal infrastructure fueling addiction and violence in Central California.
Zibray is scheduled to face U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba on May 22, 2023, for sentencing. He is looking at a mandatory minimum of 10 years behind bars, with the potential for a life sentence. A fine of up to $10 million could also be levied, though the final judgment will be determined by the court based on statutory factors and Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
This case isn’t just about one man and two pounds of meth. It’s part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) – a nationwide initiative focused on reducing violent crime and gun violence. PSN emphasizes community partnerships, strategic enforcement, and measurable results. The operation also falls under the umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a multi-agency approach to dismantling major criminal organizations. Details on OCDETF can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF. The message is clear: those who profit from poison and violence will be held accountable.
Related Federal Cases
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- Antioch’s ‘Al Pill’ Sentenced to 16 Years for Meth Trafficking · California
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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