A traffic stop on U.S. Interstate-5 in Fresno County, California, led to the discovery of seven kilograms of fentanyl, and the two Mexican nationals arrested for the crime have been charged with trafficking in the substance, according to a press release issued by U.S. Attorney Eric Grant on May 21, 2026.

Victor Piceno Madrigal, 46, and Erick Larios Acosta, 25, were both charged with two counts: conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to the press release, which cited court documents and findings, on May 13, 2026, authorities stopped Madrigal and Acosta for a traffic violation on I-5 in Fresno County. When searched, police discovered seven kilograms of fentanyl powder, which was cut and packaged into single-kilogram packs. These packages were hidden and stowed under the rear passenger door panel.

 

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and the Dr*g Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigated the case. It is currently being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio Pataca. Both defendants face severe penalties if convicted. These include a prison term of at least 10 years up to life, and fines of up to $10 million.

The Judge would hand down the sentences, keeping in consideration the applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Madrigal and Acosta’s fentanyl trafficking case is a part of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) “Operation Take Back America” that aims to dismantle dr*g trafficking and transnational criminal organizations.

The DOJ formally launched Operation Take Back America in March 2025, using the Organized Crime Dr*g Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and the Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) resources to eliminate cartels and end dr*g trafficking.

 

The Operation aims to address five core policy objectives established by President Donald Trump and the U.S. Attorney General. These include repelling the invasion of illegal immigration, achieving total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), establishing Homeland Security Task Forces, charging the most serious, readily provable offense, and restoring the death penalty.

In the first half of 2025, DEA seized roughly 44 million fentanyl pills, 4,500 lbs of fentanyl powder, and over 2,105 fentanyl-related arrests nationwide, a press release issued by the DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs stated on July 15, 2025.

The I-5 corridor that runs through the Central Valley of California is a known route for dr*gs to be transported northward. In 2025, the Fresno DEA recovered 24 lbs of carfentanil disguised as prescription pills, the largest Northern California carfentanil seizure in history. In April 2026, two other foreign nationals were indicted for trafficking 3 kg of fentanyl powder northbound on I-5 in Fresno County toward Oakland.

“Our DEA agents are doing historic work to keep our communities safe from deadly dr*gs like fentanyl and dismantle the cartels selling them,” the then Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement in July 2025. “I want to remind all Americans to exercise extreme caution: a pill can kill.”