Reedley man pleads guilty to drug, gun charges

REEDLEY – A Reedley man will be sentenced later this year after pleading guilty to a number of drug and firearm charges. 

On July 24, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced in a press release that David Joseph Yama, 42, of Reedley, plead guilty to possession of fentanyl and alprazolam (commonly known as Xanax) with intent to distribute, three counts of being a felon in possession of ammunition and one count of carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking offense. 

Yama is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on Oct. 19, where he faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and alprazolam; up to 15 years in prison and $250,000 for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; and up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for possession with intent to distribute alprazolam.

The actual sentence, however, will be decided at the discretion of the court based on a number of variables and applicable statutory factors. 

In May 2019, law enforcement discovered a drug lab in Yama’s trailer at a storage facility and seized pill-making equipment, including a pill press. Residue on the equipment tested positive for fentanyl and other controlled substances. 

Court documents state that later, on Sept. 1, 2020, officers responded to a gas station in Clovis after reports of suspicious activity. Officers contacted Yama and two associates, and a search of the vehicle he had been driving uncovered a large amount of cash, ammunition, plastic baggies, vials containing fentanyl, more than 200 fentanyl pills and more than 100 alprazolam pills. 

A search of Yama’s residence the same day revealed additional controlled substances and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

In January 2021, officers stopped Yama driving the same car and recovered more alprazolam pills, a loaded ghost gun and a silencer. According to the press release, Yama had five prior felony drug trafficking and firearms convictions and is prohibited from possessing firearms. 

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Fentanyl Overdose Resolution Team, a multi-agency group composed of the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, the California Department of Justice; and the Clovis, Reedley and Fresno Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cody S. Chapple, Joshua B. Banister, and Justin J. Gilio are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.