Reedley man pleads guilty to fentanyl and gun crimes before trial
Days before trial, Reedley’s David Joseph Yama admitted federal fentanyl and alprazolam charges after firearm allegations had been added.
David Joseph Yama, 42, of Reedley, pleaded guilty just days before his federal trial was scheduled to begin, ending a Fresno County case that had already expanded from drug allegations to firearm-related charges. Reedley sits in Fresno County, putting the case squarely in the county’s court and law-enforcement orbit.
The Drug Enforcement Administration said in a July 24 release that Yama admitted to possession of fentanyl and alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax, in Fresno. Earlier DOJ material said a grand jury returned a superseding indictment against Yama, then 41, and added charges tied to alprazolam, fentanyl and firearm-related conduct.
A separate April 3, 2025 report said Yama had been charged with carrying a firearm and having ammunition in relation to drug trafficking. Taken together, the filings show prosecutors had been building a case that linked fentanyl, a drug that has been a central concern in the Central Valley because of overdose risk, to a firearm allegation.
The earlier federal charge carried a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million for each count. With the guilty plea entered before trial, the case now moves to sentencing, where a federal judge will decide Yama’s punishment.
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