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Cashless-bail fail: Major fentanyl traffickers no-show on California court date
Hotair ^ | 07/22/2022 | Ed Morrissey

Posted on 07/22/2022 8:47:07 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

New York isn’t the only state with an inexplicable own-recognizance story today. Fox News reports that two fentanyl traffickers captured by California failed to show up for their court date yesterday. Police found 150,000 tablets of the dangerous narcotic in their possession during the arrest, and it looked like law enforcement had hobbled an important distribution node for the lethal drug on June 24.

Despite holding $750,000 in street value of fentanyl, the California court considered the pair “low risk” and withdrew the requirement for a bond on bail. And no one should be surprised by what happened next:

Two accused drug traffickers busted with 150,000 fentanyl pills during a California traffic stop last month failed to show in court Thursday after being released on cashless bail.

Defendants Jose Zendejas, 25, and Benito Madrigal, 19 — released on their own recognizance less than 24 hours after their arrests with the large stash of illicit drugs — were scheduled to appear for their arraignments at the Tulare County Courthouse in central California on Thursday morning, but both men failed to show. …

Their bail was first set at $1 million based on the quantity of drugs seized, but the county probation department’s risk assessment submitted to the county superior court classified the men as “low risk,” and they both were subsequently released on their own recognizance, Visalia Times Delta reported.

Neither the district attorney nor the sheriff said they were consulted on the release.

Two traffickers caught with $750K of fentanyl — a highly dangerous drug even in casual contact — got assessed as “low risk”? How did that happen? The whole point of arresting and charging Zendejas and Madrigal was to prevent them from creating a very large risk to the public. Fentanyl ain’t weed, after all — it kills people regularly, and is so prevalent that law enforcement has had to make Narcan a regular part of their first-aid kits.

Tulare Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said he got blindsided by the cashless-bail decision, but was hardly surprised at all by the defendants’ no-show. Boudreaux also cited the open border as a major risk for fentanyl trafficking, making this a systemic failure:

“I didn’t learn about the order until it was far too late,” Boudreaux previously told Fox News. “I couldn’t believe we had 150,00 fentanyl pills — one of the most dangerous epidemics facing our nation today — with people in custody that we may potentially be able to impact the future of this type of drug trafficking organization… and we let them go.”

“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,” Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward told Fox News on Thursday outside the courthouse, 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 going forward, I think everyone is realizing that’s a mistake and should not continue.”

“The problem is once again the legislature and the state of California are trying to go down some social experiment born on the back of law-abiding citizens,” Ward said. “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.”

Hopefully, law enforcement will find Zendejas and Madrigal and return them to custody to face their charges. I suspect, however, that they’ve made it out of the state and perhaps out of the country by now, thanks to the idiotic policies of California’s prosecutors and courts. But as Boudreaux points out, the real problem here is the wide-open borders of the Biden administration and the lack of public attention to its consequences. In this case, everyone except law enforcement is a no-show.



TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: anarchotyranny; bail; border; california; clownifornia; clownjustice; drugs; dystopia; fentanyl; hotgas; illegals; trafficking
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1 posted on 07/22/2022 8:47:07 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

I’m really surprised that a lot of other people don’t say this.

Obviously these politicians and policies are controlled by the drug cartels, and the Chinese suppliers of fentanyl.

Could it be any more obvious? Every policy is designed to aid the cartels.


2 posted on 07/22/2022 8:50:57 PM PDT by Williams (Stop Tolerating The Intolerant)
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To: SeekAndFind

“...accused drug traffickers failed to show in court
after being released on cashless bail...”
-
Who’d a thunk it?


3 posted on 07/22/2022 8:54:50 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th (Get out of the matrix and get a real life.)
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To: SeekAndFind

“Well, Gee Whiz, dont they realize they are 45 minutes late? I wonder where they could be?”


4 posted on 07/22/2022 8:58:19 PM PDT by lee martell
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To: SeekAndFind

Anyone checking the bank accounts of those who arranged the release?
And their relatives, spouses.


5 posted on 07/22/2022 9:06:05 PM PDT by Ex gun maker. (Free thinking is now a radical concept, I will not be assimilated by PC or EV groupthink!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Not a fail. Success for them.


6 posted on 07/22/2022 9:15:43 PM PDT by rlmorel (Nolnah's Razor: Never attribute to incompetence that which is adequately explained by malice.)
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To: SeekAndFind

It sounds like the RAT drug pushers don’t want to spend any more time than they have to in Gruesome Newsome’s Cauliphonya.


7 posted on 07/22/2022 9:16:48 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Congress No Longer Works for the American People. It Works for the Federal Government.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Gee that worked out well


8 posted on 07/22/2022 9:53:58 PM PDT by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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To: SeekAndFind
Two accused drug traffickers busted with 150,000 fentanyl pills during a California traffic stop last month failed to show in court Thursday after being released on cashless bail.

Hmmm. Didn’t see that coming. On the other hand, I suspect, they owe a ton of money to someone. Maybe they couldn’t show up in court, because they are dead already. 🤪

9 posted on 07/22/2022 9:56:26 PM PDT by Mark17 (Retired USAF air traffic controller. Father of USAF pilot. USAF aviation runs in the family )
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To: SeekAndFind

Order a “shoot to kill”, consider them armed, pursuit policy.


10 posted on 07/22/2022 11:01:54 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper (Figures )
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To: SeekAndFind

What a surprise……


11 posted on 07/22/2022 11:23:09 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith…)
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To: SeekAndFind

Maybe they think there’s no need for holding people in jail because it’s not a violent crime. But this is the estimated fentanyl death toll:
“The CDC estimates that over 107,000 Americans died of a drug overdose during the 12-month period from February 1, 2021 through January 30, 2022 ....”—CDC in article on web.


12 posted on 07/22/2022 11:48:24 PM PDT by frank ballenger (You have summoned up a thundercloud. You're gonna hear from me. Anthem by Leonard Cohen)
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To: SeekAndFind
I don't get it - they promised they would show!

Maybe something happened to them - I hope they are OK.

13 posted on 07/23/2022 2:34:28 AM PDT by Psalm 73 ("You'll never hear surf music again" - J. Hendrix)
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To: Psalm 73

I don’t get it - they promised they would show!
Maybe something happened to them - I hope they are OK.

How do the cartels treat their people who lose the load?


14 posted on 07/23/2022 3:43:00 AM PDT by rxh4n1
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To: SeekAndFind
Defendants Jose Zendejas, 25, and Benito Madrigal, 19 — released on their own recognizance less than 24 hours after their arrests with the large stash of illicit drugs — were scheduled to appear for their arraignments at the Tulare County Courthouse in central California on Thursday morning, but both men failed to show.

Failed to show, oh no, say it ain't so, joe.

Any time a real criminal is released on their 'own recognizance' the chances of them showing up for a court date are slim to none.

15 posted on 07/23/2022 4:08:40 AM PDT by USS Alaska (NUKE ALL MOOSELIMB TERRORISTS, NOW.)
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To: rxh4n1
I don’t get it - they promised they would show! Maybe something happened to them - I hope they are OK.

How do the cartels treat their people who lose the load?

Best post of the week.

You are correct, those two losers were last seen wandering barefoot in Death Valley.

The cartel bosses don't play.

16 posted on 07/23/2022 4:12:31 AM PDT by USS Alaska (NUKE ALL MOOSELIMB TERRORISTS, NOW.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I say again,” no kidding?”

Either these idiots are so altruistic and idealistic to believe that drug runners have honor and would abide by a court order or they are complicit in the greater crime of conspiracy.

I think the latter is the rational logical and obvious truth.

But, alas, no one has “standing”....


17 posted on 07/23/2022 4:23:25 AM PDT by Manly Warrior (US ARMY (Ret), "No Free Lunches for the Dogs of War" )
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To: Williams

Excellent point. I thought they were just stupid, but am reconsidering my position


18 posted on 07/23/2022 4:43:58 AM PDT by genghis (Cathinkngact only reason go after puthan 5nu0 inbbiedComlpln)
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To: SeekAndFind

Was to be expected when morons voted to elect Hunter Biden to run the country,,,with 10% for the big guy.


19 posted on 07/23/2022 5:11:42 AM PDT by Beagle8U ("Per DNC instructions...Joy Reid is busy packing marbles up her @$$.")
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To: SeekAndFind

SPJNK.


20 posted on 07/23/2022 5:40:53 AM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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