Fresno, CA – A Kern County man has been sentenced to over 11 years in prison for his role in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking operation.
Ernesto Zibray, 34, of Delano, was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison for distribution of over 500 grams of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Zibray was charged as part of Operation Red Reaper, a multi-agency operation that resulted in three federal cases charging a total of 23 individuals.
The months-long investigation uncovered evidence that the Nuestra Familia prison gang and its associates were responsible for large-scale trafficking of methamphetamine and other controlled substances, as well as various firearms offenses and other violent crimes in Kings and Tulare Counties.
On May 6, 2019, Zibray, who was on probation for another drug trafficking offense, distributed 2 pounds of methamphetamine to a co-defendant in Delano. Moments later, investigators conducted a traffic stop on the car in which the co-defendant was traveling, searched the car, and found the methamphetamine.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Kings County Gang Task Force, the California Department of Justice, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
In related news, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California is committed to addressing the root causes of crime and working with community leaders to build safer, healthier communities.
Related Federal Cases
- Vin Whealen Gaines Jr., Firearms Trafficking & Methamphetamine Distribution, California 2020 · Idaho
- Demecio Navarro Sanchez, Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking, California 2020 · Idaho
- David Garcia, Luis Perez, Gerardo Perez, Cocaine and Methamphetamine Trafficking, California 2020 · Idaho
- Adrian Rodriguez Cardenas, Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy, California 2021 · Idaho
- Alejandro Alvarez, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, California 2020 · Idaho
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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