'Low risk' fentanyl traffickers no-shows in court after being released without bail
FRESNO, CALIF (TND) — Two men from Washington State arrested while in possession of approximately $750,000 worth of fentanyl were released without bail in California, but failed to show up for their scheduled court appearance Thursday.
Jose Zendejas, 25, and Benito Madrigal, 19, were stopped while attempting to bring around 150,000 pills filled with fentanyl back to Washington State from Mexico.
READ MORE:“150,000 fentanyl pills totaling $750,000 recovered during traffic stop in Tulare”
The two men were booked into the Tulare County Jail on charges of possession, transportation, and selling illegal drugs. They were initially given a $1 million bail, but the suspects were released 18 hours later following a pre-trial risk assessment, which classified the two suspects as “low risk.”
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux and District Attorney Tim Ward claim neither of them had been aware of the suspects’ release until after it occurred.
“How does this happen without the top two law enforcement officers of the county not even know it?” Ward asked. “Why aren't the stakeholders involved in that process? We need to stop thinking that drug crimes are victimless crimes. But I would, in this case, say that law enforcement officers are considered victims or should be considered victims. They should have a right to be heard in that process.”
Shortly after the suspects’ release, prosecutors filed a four-count complaint against both men. A judge also issued warrants for the men, and the court set their bail at $2.15 million.
But Zendejas and Madrigal have yet to be apprehended, and on Thursday, the two suspects once again failed to appear in court, according to Fox News.
“Although there is a need for a pre-trial release program, to do it covertly in the middle of the night in a very nontransparent matter is extremely dangerous,” Ward told Fox News Thursday, referring to the court’s initial decision to release the defendants. “What we discovered here was that it was occurring based on a decision without any foundation of the facts of the case. And I think doing forward, I think everyone is realizing that’s a mistake and should not continue.”
Ward also criticized the state of California for “trying to go down some social experiment born on the back of law-abiding citizens” in his comments to Fox News.
“I go out on a limb and say that had these defendants been subject to the million bail that was in place when they were arrested, and they made bail based on that amount, they would have some skin in the game, some financial obligation and motivation to return to court,” Ward concluded.