“The amount of illegal drugs trafficked in our state and country is astonishing.  These drugs doing nothing to uplift our communities, threaten our public safety and deplete the chances of users becoming productive members of our society.  It is vital to public safety and the futures of our neighborhoods and children to put a stop to this illegal activity.” – CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

FRESNO— On July 17, 2023, Luis Noe Hernandez Rojo, 34, of Orange, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison for conspiring to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl and heroin.

According to court documents, Hernandez participated in a well-established heroin and methamphetamine drug trafficking organization based in Mexico by agreeing to deliver fentanyl and heroin on two occasions in Bakersfield on behalf of the organization. On Aug. 7, 2019, Hernandez delivered approximately 2,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl to an undercover agent. On Dec. 13, 2019, Hernandez was arrested while transporting to the same undercover agent in Fresno approximately 60,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl, 4.2 pounds of fentanyl powder, and 17.6 pounds of black tar heroin.

Co-defendant Donis Ariel Maldonado, 31, a citizen of Guatemala, was arrested last year for his involvement in the drug conspiracy and is scheduled for a status conference in federal court in Fresno on Sept. 20, 2023.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the High Impact Investigation Team (HITT) with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration. HIIT is a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Initiative, which consists of personnel from the FBI, the California Department of Justice, the California Highway Patrol, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, the Kings County Sheriff’s Office, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, and the Fresno Police Department.