Tulare County detectives seize 14,700 lbs. of marijuana in Operation Trailblazer

Operation Trailblazer has netted more arrests and taken thousands of pounds of drugs off the streets.

In July, Visalia Police Department, Tulare County Sheriff's Department and Department of Justice launched Operation Trailblazer in an effort to solve a May 2020 triple homicide at Golden West High School.

However, the investigation also uncovered a nationwide drug trafficking ring.

Many of the suspects are known Sureño gang members. In total, more than two dozen arrests were made, including three Visalia homicide suspects, and the seizure of weapons and drugs.

Since the first arrests were made nearly two weeks ago, Tulare County detectives have served additional search warrants locally and in Los Angeles County.

Two men were identified as the primary suspects in the Tulare County portion of the operation — 30-year-old Joe Carmona and 30-year-old Sirjoe Carmona.

The Ivanhoe brothers, detectives said, were not only involved with local Sureños, but also transporting and selling large amounts of marijuana in several states.

In collaboration with several federal and state agencies, Tulare County detectives served 53 search warrants and seized 14,763 marijuana plants, 773 pounds of processed marijuana, 53 firearms, $358,000 in cash and $300,000 in assets during the five-month investigation.

Last week, a grand jury indicted four federal Operation Trailblazer suspects.

The men were indicted on suspicion of distributing methamphetamine, conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, using a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense, conspiring to use a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense, and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine.

Detectives believe that local Sureño gang members and associates have been importing guns from Texas and were paying for the weapons with methamphetamine and cocaine from drug trafficking organizations in Mexico.

The weapons and drugs were being shipped through the U.S. Postal Service in Ivanhoe, according to investigators.

By Tuesday, the three homicide suspects — Mark Aceves, Cesar Lopez and Abraham Molina — will have been arraigned on murder charges.

This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Bari Molyneux at 1-800-808-0488, or anonymously at tcso@tipnow.com or by text or voicemail at 725-4194.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Detectives seize 14,700 lbs. of marijuana in Operation Trailblazer