Federal prosecutors have charged nine people for running methamphetamine conversion labs in Bakersfield and Visalia.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California announced the results of Operation Klean Strip after taking down two large-scale clandestine labs.
The big picture: Operation Klean Strip began in November 2025 and resulted in nine arrests on Thursday as agents seized 4,000 cannabis plants, $20,000 in drug proceeds, 20 firearms and 2,171 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, to go along with hundreds of gallons of methamphetamine that agents had seized earlier.
- Agents previously seized 721 pounds of methamphetamine from the Bakersfield site on April 20 and 1,450 pounds from the Visalia site on May 20. Deputies also recovered around 320 pounds of crystal methamphetamine during a traffic stop on April 20.
- Six of the defendants are Mexican nationals, with five of them residing in the U.S. The other three live in Tulare, Porterville and Visalia.
What we’re watching: The defendants face 10 years to life in prison and fines up to $10 million, depending on drug quantity and prior convictions…