Jaime Alejandro Sanchez Robles, Marijuana Cultivation, California 2022

A Mexican national has been charged with cultivating over 1,700 pounds of marijuana in a remote area of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in Trinity County, California.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers raided a marijuana growing operation on October 20, 2022, and found the remnants of over 1,200 pounds of soluble fertilizer, 20 gallons of liquid fertilizer, over 50 pounds of rodenticide, and at least one dead animal. The diversion of water from a nearby stream and the environmental damage caused by the operation were also observed.

Jaime Alejandro Sanchez Robles, 33, of Mexico, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, manufacture of marijuana, and depredation of public lands and resources.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office. The Integral Ecology Research Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the research and conservation of wildlife and their ecosystems, analyzed and documented the environmental damage caused by the operation.

If convicted, Sanchez Robles faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. 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 defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Jaime Alejandro Sanchez Robles, 33, of Mexico, was indicted for his role in a marijuana growing operation in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

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