Alejandro Soto-Silva Pleads Guilty to Marijuana Cultivation in California
Alejandro Soto-Silva, a 22-year-old Mexican national, has pleaded guilty to cultivating over 3,700 marijuana plants in the Plumas National Forest in California.
According to court documents, on July 30, 2014, United States Forest Service agents and Plumas County Sheriff’s deputies discovered a large marijuana cultivation site near the Soda Creek drainage on the Plumas National Forest. The site contained more than 3,700 marijuana plants, as well as irrigation piping running from a water source to man-made reservoirs used to water the plants.
Soto-Silva was arrested after attempting to flee the scene. The marijuana cultivation caused significant damage to the land and natural resources of the Plumas National Forest, and will require rehabilitation and remediation efforts at a cost of at least $9,500 to the U.S. Forest Service.
This case is the result of an investigation by the United States Forest Service and the Plumas County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Christiaan Highsmith will be prosecuting the case.
Soto-Silva is currently in custody and is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on April 15, 2015. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine on the marijuana cultivation charge, as well as a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years and a $250,000 fine on the depredation of public lands and resources charge.
The actual sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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