Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
MS-13 Gang Member Gets 10 Years for Mendota Drug Trafficking
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 5 years ago on
January 29, 2020

Share

U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill sentenced MS-13 gang member Claudia Lizaola to 10 years in prison Monday for drug trafficking.
O’Neill handed down the sentence at the federal courthouse in Fresno.
According to court documents, Lizaola was a member of La Mara Salvatrucha, a violent criminal street gang that engages in racketeering activity, including murder, kidnapping, extortion, and drug trafficking.
Lizaola pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine to MS-13 members in Mendota.
Co-defendant Brenda Morales pleaded guilty to being an alien in possession of a firearm. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 13.

Fourteen Co-Defendants Face Trial in April

There are 14 co‑defendants scheduled for trial on April 14.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Pearson, Kathleen Servatius, and Kimberly Sanchez are prosecuting this and related cases. Fresno County Senior Deputy District Attorney Dennis Lewis is working with the team and prosecuting related cases in Fresno County Superior Court.

Operation Blue Inferno

In August 2018, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott and state Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the arrests of 25 MS-13 members in the Mendota area. They were charged with 14 murders, as well as kidnapping and drug trafficking. The enforcement action was dubbed Operation Blue Inferno.
“This is a good day,” Scott at the time. “An extremely violent street gang, which has terrorized western Fresno County, has been completely dismantled.”
Law enforcement served 19 search warrants in Mendota, Kerman and Los Angeles. Also, a search of 37 cells in 11 state prisons yielded cell phones, drugs, and weapons.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Chargers in Need of Help at Wide Receiver and Tight End in the NFL Draft

DON'T MISS

Magic Happens When Kids and Adults Learn to Swim. Tragedy Can Strike if They Don’t.

DON'T MISS

Big Fresno Fair Board Will Be Led by an American Sikh for 1st Time

DON'T MISS

AI ‘Friend’ for Public School Students Falls Flat

DON'T MISS

Is a ‘Friend-Apist’ What We Really Want From Therapy?

DON'T MISS

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Report US Strikes in the Capital and a Coastal City

DON'T MISS

Progressive Icon and Ex-US Rep. Barbara Lee Wins Race for Mayor of Oakland

DON'T MISS

Humanoid Robots Run a Chinese Half-Marathon Alongside Human Competitors

DON'T MISS

Bakersfield Push to Restore Kern River Seeks to Revitalize City

DON'T MISS

Anti-Trump Protesters Turn Out to Rallies Across Country

UP NEXT

Bakersfield Push to Restore Kern River Seeks to Revitalize City

UP NEXT

Fresno County Pushes Valley to Highest Rates of Domestic Violence Calls in CA

UP NEXT

Mijo Proves Love Is Blind and That One Eye Is More Than Enough

UP NEXT

Hey PG&E Customers, Get Ready for New ‘Transaction Fees’

UP NEXT

Clovis Reconsiders Recycling Vote. Will a Campaign Contribution Matter?

UP NEXT

Gov. Newsom Offers $50K Reward in 2022 Kings County Homicide

UP NEXT

Fresno ‘Powers Up’ the Nation’s Largest Combined Solar and Battery Storage Project

UP NEXT

Vendors Back at Fresno’s Art Hop? Survey Wants to Know What You Think

UP NEXT

Habit Burger & Grill Quietly Drops Impossible Burger From Menu

UP NEXT

What Happens After a Homeless Person Is Arrested for Camping? Often, Not Much

AI ‘Friend’ for Public School Students Falls Flat

20 hours ago

Is a ‘Friend-Apist’ What We Really Want From Therapy?

20 hours ago

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Report US Strikes in the Capital and a Coastal City

2 days ago

Progressive Icon and Ex-US Rep. Barbara Lee Wins Race for Mayor of Oakland

2 days ago

Humanoid Robots Run a Chinese Half-Marathon Alongside Human Competitors

2 days ago

Bakersfield Push to Restore Kern River Seeks to Revitalize City

2 days ago

Anti-Trump Protesters Turn Out to Rallies Across Country

2 days ago

Universal Studios Fan Fest 2025 to Feature Immersive D&D Attraction and More

2 days ago

Thousands Gather in London for Trans Rights Following UK Ruling Over Definition of Woman

2 days ago

250 Years After America Went to War for Independence, a Divided Nation Battles Over Its Legacy

2 days ago

Chargers in Need of Help at Wide Receiver and Tight End in the NFL Draft

EL SEGUNDO — In their first season together, Los Angeles Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh rebuilt the team enough ...

19 hours ago

19 hours ago

Chargers in Need of Help at Wide Receiver and Tight End in the NFL Draft

19 hours ago

Magic Happens When Kids and Adults Learn to Swim. Tragedy Can Strike if They Don’t.

19 hours ago

Big Fresno Fair Board Will Be Led by an American Sikh for 1st Time

20 hours ago

AI ‘Friend’ for Public School Students Falls Flat

20 hours ago

Is a ‘Friend-Apist’ What We Really Want From Therapy?

2 days ago

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Report US Strikes in the Capital and a Coastal City

2 days ago

Progressive Icon and Ex-US Rep. Barbara Lee Wins Race for Mayor of Oakland

2 days ago

Humanoid Robots Run a Chinese Half-Marathon Alongside Human Competitors

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend