Madera Man Sentenced to over 21 Years in Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl and Methamphetamine

Emilio Hernandez Yesca, 31, of Madera, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 21 years and 10 months in prison for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

According to court documents, the charges arose out of a months-long investigation into a drug trafficking organization. At the center of the organization were Hernandez and co-defendant Jorge Perez, 28, of Madera. Between October 2020 and March 2021, the two conspired to distribute thousands of fentanyl pills and pounds of methamphetamine. As part of their plan, they sold 1,400 fentanyl pills in two separate drug deals in October and November 2020. Then, in February 2021, they sold a pound of methamphetamine. On March 2, law enforcement stopped the drug-dealing partners in a car on their way to deliver 5,000 fentanyl pills and 3 pounds of methamphetamine. They had a loaded firearm under the driver's seat of the car.

Perez was sentenced to 11 years and 10 months in prison on Jan. 27, 2025.

This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Madera County Sheriff's Office, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Chowchilla Police Department, the Madera Police Department, and the Madera Narcotics Enforcement Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio prosecuted the case.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.