One week after a legal snafu led to the free release of a major Los Angeles-based drug distributor from Fresno County Jail, law enforcement officials announced that he was re-arrested on Tuesday.
At the center of the catch-and-release of Pedro Miranda-Muro, 23, was Fresno County’s zero-dollar bail policy, enacted during the coronavirus pandemic but operative long after the State of California and most municipalities rescinded their versions.
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State of play: Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies, Huron Police, and agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency arrested Miranda Muro in Huron on Tuesday, Fresno Sheriff’s officials announce.
- Miranda-Muro was arrested pursuant to a Federal warrant. He is currently being held at Fresno County Jail on a Federal hold and is not eligible for bail, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday night.
The backstory: Miranda-Muro, 23, was arrested by Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies on Jan. 3 with 11 pounds (or $230,000 worth) of fentanyl and 1.5 pounds (or $12,000 worth) of heroin.
- Bail in a case like Miranda-Muro’s typically would be set at $225,000, likely keeping him behind bars.
- Miranda-Muro’s status as a first time offender in Fresno County triggered Fresno County Superior Court’s then-operative zero-dollar bail policy, enabling him to walk from jail for free.
