2 plead guilty in connection to illegal cannabis grow in Los Padres National Forest
Two men arrested in connection to an illegal cannabis grow on Los Padres National Forest land will be sentenced in coming weeks, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Alejandro Barbosa Mejia and Cristo Sanchez Suarez pleaded guilty Nov. 17 to multiple charges related to the grow near Ragged Point, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, three months after they were arrested in July.
Authorities removed more than 6,500 illegal cannabis plants and confiscated an additional 3,500 pounds of cannabis, the agency said in a news release.
The grow encompassed more than five acres of land, and large amounts of small trees and shrubs were removed to make room for marijuna plants, Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Janice Mackey wrote in an email to The Tribune.
Two 16-ounce bottles of carbofuran, a federally banned pesticide, were also found at the location of the grow and removed, according to Fish and Wildlife. Just one teaspoon of carbofuran can kill a 600-pound bear, the agency said.
Other chemicals found at the location of the illegal grow — such as rodenticides, pesticides, insecticides and high-concentrate fertilizers — can have a lasting impact on the soil and bleed into local waterways for several years, Mackey wrote.
“When the winter rains come, those chemicals will be washed in the waterways which can impact fish and wildlife species that depend upon that resource to live and thrive,” Mackey wrote.
Mejia and Suarez were also arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, illegal water diversions, illegal use of a banned pesticide and substantially causing environmental harm to public land, according to Fish and Wildlife.
When officers arrived at this grow and confronted the suspects, one man threw a cup of chemicals at a warden’s face, Mackey wrote.
“I’m deeply proud of the work our wildlife officers and allied partners accomplished in this investigation,” David Bess, California Department of Fish and Wildlife deputy director and chief of the Law Enforcement Division, said in the release. “Big Sur is home to numerous native plants, fish and wildlife species, some of which are found nowhere else in the world. Protecting these resources is at the heart of our mission and something we take immense pride in.”
According to the release, the illegal marijuana grow was found in an area that has several popular hiking trails. The coastal mountains are home to California condors, mountain lions, deer, owls and other wildlife.
“Evidence of poached and poisoned wildlife was also discovered” around the site of the illegal marijuana grow, Mackey wrote.
According to Mackey, the area was cleaned up over the weekend of Dec. 5. Large amounts of trash and chemicals were collected, airlifted to a staging area and later dumped, she wrote.
As of Monday, Meija and Suarez were being held at Monterey County Jail, jail records said. Mejia is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17, while Suarez has a sentencing hearing on Jan. 12, 2021, according to Monterey County Superior Court records.
According to Fish and Wildlife officials, cannabis cultivation is never allowed on public lands. Over the past decade, officials have remove several illegal grows from Los Padres National Forest, Mackey wrote.
Other illegal grows have been found in public lands around California, according to Mackey.
The public is encouraged to report any illegal grows to the CalTIP hotline at 888-334-2258 or by texting “CALTIP,” followed by a space and the message, to 847411 (tip411).
