The State - News from June 9, 1988

Law enforcement officer in Madera began rounding up suspected drug dealers and users after what Police Chief Gordon Skeels called the longest undercover investigation in the community’s history. Police and sheriff’s deputies carrying search warrants confiscated drugs and made arrests in various parts of town, including the notorious C Street area where residents have complained of rampant drug use. Local officers were assisted by U.S. Border Patrol agentslooking for illegal aliens. Skeels said the drug sweep was under way “all over town. There’s a mistaken idea that all dope in Madera is being sold in the C Street Area.” Skeels declined to say how many search warrants were to be served and how many arrests were expected but noted that the investigation has been under way since January. “It’s the best orchestrated, longest-running and most expensive operation we’ve ever conducted,” he said.