September 18, 2026 – FRESNO, CA – The United States Attorney’s Office announced the results of Operation Klean Strip, a multi‑agency investigation that dismantled two large‑scale clandestine methamphetamine conversion laboratories in Bakersfield and Visalia. The operation began in November 2025 and ended on Thursday with nine arrests and the execution of 16 search warrants where agents seized 4,000 marijuana plants, $20,000 drug proceeds, and 20 firearms adding to the 2,171 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and hundreds of gallons of methamphetamine seized earlier.
“This investigation struck at the heart of high‑volume methamphetamine conversion operations that were pumping poison into communities across the Central Valley,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant. “Through the relentless effort of our federal, state, and local partners, we have taken nine alleged conspirators off the streets and secured indictments against three more. Operations like this underscore our unwavering commitment to dismantling the criminal networks that manufacture and traffic these dangerous drugs, and we are far from finished.”
“Today is an example of the great work that can be done when law enforcement agencies from all levels of government come together for one, unified mission,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Stopping the production of illegal drugs is about more than enforcing the law. It’s about protecting our families and communities from the life-threatening danger these drugs pose. Public safety is priority number one at the California Department of Justice, and we will continue to pursue it in our communities and in the courtroom. Thank you to all the agencies and individuals who worked together to make California a safer place.”
“This takedown reflects exactly what the Homeland Security Task Force framework was designed to achieve: federal, state, and local partners operating as one team to dismantle the networks trafficking dangerous narcotics into our communities,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Brian Tosh. “These partnerships bring the shared expertise, resources, and resolve that make operations of this magnitude possible.”
According to court documents, agents with the Fresno High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and partner agencies seized 2,171 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and hundreds of gallons of methamphetamine in solution from the two conversion laboratories—721 pounds from the Bakersfield site on April 20, 2026, and 1,450 pounds from the Visalia site on May 20, 2026. In a related traffic stop on April 20, 2026, deputies recovered approximately 320 pounds of crystal methamphetamine from a vehicle driven by Ramiro Luna, 52, of San Bernardino.
Luna and his passenger Robert Gray, 54, of San Bernardino, were charged by indictment on August 20, 2026, with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Gustavo Alejandro Mendoza‑Felix, 27, of Visalia, was arrested on May 20, 2026, when HITT and other law enforcement agencies served a search warrant at the Visalia methamphetamine lab where he resided. He was indicted on June 11, 2026, charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
A criminal complaint charges the following nine defendants with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine:
- Jesus Efrain Lopez‑Felix, 34, of Tulare;
- Elvis Ramirez‑Beltran, 25, of Mexico, residing in Porterville;
- Gabriel Ramirez‑Beltran, 27, of Mexico, residing in Selma;
- Marissa Lopez‑Felix, 30, of Porterville;
- Jose Armando Lopez‑Felix, 29, of Mexico, residing in Yokuts Valley;
- Jaciel Lopez‑Felix, 23, of Mexico residing in Sanger;
- Faustino Romero‑Leon, 50, of Mexico, residing in Sanger;
- Alberto Lopez‑Castillo, 21, of Visalia;
- Jesus Adrian Rios‑Ramirez, 27, of Mexico.
This case is the product of an investigation led by the FBI and the California Department of Justice Fresno High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), which is made up of partner agencies from Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Fresno Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Madera County Sheriff’s Office, King’s County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Additional assistance was provided by the Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), consisting of Kern County HIDTA and Tulare County HIDTA, along with Department of Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force, the Kern County District Attorney’s Office, and the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Catto, Luke Baty, and Antonio Pataca are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the defendants face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years and up to life in prison, and fines up to $10 million, depending on drug quantity and prior convictions. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Central Valley HSTF is composed of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
Bakersfield Methamphetamine Conversion Laboratory
Photograph of crystal methamphetamine, propane tanks, and 5-gallon acetone containers.
Photograph of metal pots and burners.
Photograph of igloos with liquid methamphetamine.
Photograph of individually bagged crystal methamphetamine.
Photograph of crystal methamphetamine drying on tabletops.
Photograph of igloo containers with liquid methamphetamine.
Photograph of 5-gallon acetone containers used in methamphetamine conversion process.
Source & photos: DOJ Release
