The California Department of Justice/California Highway Patrol, Special Operations Unit assisted with these investigations

“Removing those who supply large quantities of illegal drugs from our communities can only help to increase public safety.  We applaud the work of federal, state and local law enforcement officers who investigate drug suppliers and dealers and help to keep us safe from harm.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

FRESNO – On April 28, 2025, Raul Zamudio Hurtado, 42, of Oakdale, was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for two counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine arising from two separate cases.

According to court documents, in May 2017, a coalition of federal, state, and local agencies investigated a group of Sureño gang members and associates in the Merced area for crimes of violence, drug sales, and illegal firearms possession. More than 50 people were arrested and 14 defendants were charged federally. Hurtado was the source of supply of methamphetamine to the suspected Sureño members and was indicted. On July 24, 2019, Hurtado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and remained in custody pending sentencing in the first case. In April 2020, he was released with conditions.

Between December 2021 and November 2022, Hurtado obtained and distributed methamphetamine in large quantities and received tens of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds. On Nov. 16, 2022, a search warrant was executed, more than 73 pounds of methamphetamine was seized, and Hurtado was charged again. On June 3, 2024, Hurtado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in this second case.

These cases were the product of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Merced Area Gang and Narcotic Enforcement Team (MAGNET), the California Department of Justice/California Highway Patrol, Special Operations Unit, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Modesto Police Department Major Crimes Unit.