DELANO, CA – Ernesto Zibray, 34, of Delano, has confessed to flooding Kern County streets with methamphetamine. Zibray pleaded guilty today to distribution of over 500 grams of the deadly drug, a charge stemming from the sprawling federal investigation known as Operation Red Reaper. U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced the guilty plea, a small victory in a larger war against organized crime.
The case against Zibray is a piece of a much larger puzzle. Operation Red Reaper, a multi-agency takedown, has already brought federal charges against 23 individuals. Investigators uncovered a network deeply rooted in the Nuestra Familia prison gang and its associates, responsible for not only meth and other controlled substances, but also a litany of firearms offenses and violent crimes plaguing Kings and Tulare Counties. This wasn’t just about drugs; it was about power and control.
Court documents detail a brazen transaction on May 6, 2019. While already on probation for a separate offense, Zibray handed off two pounds of methamphetamine to his co-defendant, Tiffany Feller, in Delano. Law enforcement moved quickly. Moments after the exchange, investigators pulled Feller’s vehicle over, a search revealing the stash. Zibray was apprehended in June 2019, but the wheels of justice grind slowly, especially when dealing with deeply entrenched criminal organizations.
The investigation was a collaborative effort, involving 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 this criminal network from the inside out.
Zibray now awaits sentencing before U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba on May 22, 2023. He’s facing a mandatory minimum of 10 years behind bars, but the potential penalties reach a lifetime sentence and a staggering fine of up to $10 million. The final sentence will be at the judge’s discretion, taking into account federal sentencing guidelines and other relevant factors. Don’t expect a slap on the wrist – this level of trafficking carries severe consequences.
This case falls under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence by fostering collaboration between law enforcement and communities. It’s also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven approach designed to dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations threatening the United States. The feds are sending a clear message: those who prey on our communities will be brought to justice.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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