A vehicle stop Tuesday south of Madera, along Highway 99 near Avenue 12, became one of the largest drug busts in Madera County’s history, said Erica Stuart, spokeswoman for the Madera County Sheriff’s Office.
Inside the 2008 Dodge Nitro SUV was 18 kilograms of cocaine, 16 pounds of methamphetamine and eight pounds of white-powder heroin — worth nearly $700,000, Stuart said.
Two Sacramento men were arrested: Juan Carlos Esparza, 39, and Raydel Estrada Gomez, 29.
Stuart said a California Highway Patrol officer with the Madera County Narcotic Enforcement Team pulled the pair over, and then searched the vehicle with a K9 drug-sniffing dog. The drugs were found, along with almost $7,000 in cash, inside two cardboard boxes and stashed inside the vehicle’s roof liner.
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Esparza and Gomez remain booked in Madera County Jail on suspicion of felony drug possession and transportation for sales, Stuart said. Bail is set at $5 million for each.
Sheriff John Anderson said the bust show that Madera County remains a major hub and thoroughfare for drug traffickers operating in California.
