Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni says recent large seizures of fentanyl along Interstate 5 are “just the tip of the iceberg (of) what’s coming into California.”

He made the remarks at a Tuesday news conference that followed two separate incidents in which sheriff’s deputies arrested men from Sinaloa, Mexico, accused of transporting large amounts of the powerful narcotic through the county.

He was joined at the news conference by Bob Pennal, a former state DOJ agent, and Fresno County Deputy District Attorney Steve Wright.

Pennal said drugs exponentially more powerful than fentanyl are also being smuggled through the Central San Joaquin Valley.

On Aug. 7, Manuel Gonzalez Lopez, 21, and Mario Andujo Hernandez, 32, were arrested after deputies reported seizing 33 pounds of fentanyl in a traffic stop. Authorities estimated the quantity could potentially kill more than 7.5 million people. They were booked into Fresno County Jail.

That followed the arrest on July 23 of Jose Araujo-Valenzuela, 21. Deputies reported Araujo-Valenzuela was transporting 240,000 fentanyl-laced pills and one kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of cocaine. He was also booked into the jail.

Hundreds of Fresno County Fentanyl Overdoses Annually

Zanoni noted that in 2021, 114 people died of fentanyl overdoses in Fresno County; in 2022, 102 died from the drug; the number in 2023 was 109. So far in 2024, there have been 48 deaths.

“The arrests are impressive, but this is an issue that has to be solved with security at our southern border,” Zanoni said.

“We do a lot of presentations, we do a lot of prevention, we do a lot of intervention, and we talked to a lot of youth and adults in our community to discourage the use,” he added.

According to the CDC, 150 people die in the United States each day from poisonings related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. That computes to about 55,000 deaths annually.

Drugs 20 Times ‘More Powerful’ Than Fentanyl Crossing the Border

Pennal said the other, more powerful drugs increasingly being transported include Xylazine, a sedative that can stop respiration when combined with fentanyl, and Nidazine, a synthetic opiate too powerful to gain approval in the U.S. for medical use.

“In China, what we have …are ‘patent pirates’ always looking for new drugs, and they found the nidazine opiate group. Some …are 20 times more powerful (than fentanyl).”

Wright said he wouldn’t rule out filing murder charges against fentanyl dealers, if he believed a conviction were possible.

If you are aware of any type of illegal drug activity, report it anonymously by calling the Narcotics Hotline at 1-800-660-1086 or email: drugtip@fresnosheriff.org. You may also contact Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867, www.valleycrimestoppers.org.  You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.