Marijuana
Credit: NIDA

Over 20,000 Marijuana Plants Seized

July 21, 2017 - FRESNO, Calif. — On June 22, 2017, Jose Manuel Sanchez-Zapien (Sanchez), 37, a native and citizen of Michoacán, Mexico, residing in Dos Palos, was charged in an indictment with conspiring to manufacture marijuana and damaging public lands and natural resources. Today, a federal grand jury additionally charged him with manufacturing marijuana, and added co-defendant Maximiliano Farias-Martinez (Farias), 48, of Stevinson. Farias is charged with conspiring to manufacture marijuana, manufacturing marijuana, and damaging public lands and natural resources, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Sanchez was found in April and June of this year at a drop point delivering supplies to growers at a marijuana cultivation site in the Slick Rock Creek drainage in the Sequoia National Forest. The drop point has been used numerous times in the past as a supply drop point for marijuana growers to access grow sites in the Slick Rock Creek drainage. Law enforcement officers found over 20,952 marijuana plants at the Alder Creek site supplied by Sanchez. Follow-up investigation revealed that Farias supervised Sanchez and others associated with the grow site.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service with assistance from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Office of Investigations of Social Security Administration, Drug Enforcement Administration, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (MAGNET). Assistant United States Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.

If convicted of the drug offenses, Farias and Sanchez face 10 years to life in prison, and up to a $10 million fine for each count. If convicted of the environmental crime, Farias and Sanchez face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution to the U.S. Forest Service. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: DOJ