DA Ron Freitas Announces Arraignment of Suspects in Major Fentanyl and Narcotics Seizure

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced the formal arraignment of Carla Lockhart and Fernando Reyes Valles following a large drug bust that uncovered dangerous amounts of fentanyl, other street drugs, and a loaded gun. The defendants appeared before Judge Guiliani in Department 8B of the San Joaquin County Superior Courthouse.

Lockhart and Valles face multiple felony charges for possessing illegal drugs for sale. The charges include extra penalties for carrying a firearm and for having more than 500 grams of fentanyl.

The case started when agents from the Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force (METRO) served a search warrant on July 16, 2026. During the search, officers found and took:

• 600 grams of powdered fentanyl
• 110 grams of methamphetamine
• 1 ounce of heroin
• 180 alprazolam pills
• A loaded gun and items showing the drugs were being packaged for sale

"Fentanyl is a poison in our neighborhoods, and we will not let drug dealers put our families in danger," said District Attorney Ron Freitas. "Six hundred grams of powdered fentanyl is a massive amount of deadly drugs taken off our streets. Thanks to the hard work of our METRO Task Force agents and our prosecution team, these individuals will face justice. We are going to keep going after anyone who tries to profit off selling these drugs in our community."

Judge Guiliani set bail at $310,000 for Lockhart and $290,000 for Valles. The judge also placed a 1275.1 hold on both defendants. This hold means they cannot post bail until a hearing proves that the bail money did not come from illegal drug sales.

The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office wants to thank the Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force and local law enforcement partners for their great work on this case.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Jocelyn Weisbrich. Both defendants must return to court for another hearing on August 12, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. in Department 8B.