MADERA COUNTY - On Thursday, March 20, 2025, Detectives recovered 80 pounds of methamphetamine during a vehicle search in Madera County. Following the discovery, they arrested 41-year-old Juan Salgado and 39-year-old Fernando Rascon for multiple felony charges, including sales, distribution, and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The southern California natives were booked into the Madera County Jail without incident.
Fresno HIIT is a High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative (HIDTA), which consists of personnel from the California Department of Justice, (CA/DOJ) Fresno Regional Office, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Fresno Police Department (FPD), California Highway Patrol (CHP), Kings County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO), Madera County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and Fresno County Sheriff’s Office (FSO). Fresno HIIT conducts major narcotic and other major criminal investigations in the counties of the California Central Valley.
“MADNET, DOJ, Fresno HIIT, and all our allied agencies worked as one team to disrupt a major narcotics trafficking effort, taking 80 pounds of meth off our streets and taking two suspects in custody,” said Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue. “This seizure means safer neighborhoods for Madera County families and is a prime example of the results we achieve when we stand united to keep our community safe.”
“Today, we are sending a strong message that crime cannot stand up to the power of good law enforcement work,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today, we’ve taken dangerous drugs off our streets and protected the people of Madera County. I thank our DOJ Special Agents and law enforcement partners for the hours of work they have put into this case and for their work to make California safer. Tonight, Madera County families can live and sleep with greater peace of mind due to this investigation.”
