Las Vegas, Nev. – In a blow to large-scale marijuana growers, two California men, Jose Manuel Mendez-Ayala, 32, and Jordan Raymundo Torres, 28, were sentenced to prison for their roles in cultivating marijuana in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada announced the sentences, which were handed down this week. Mendez-Ayala received 19 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, while Torres was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison, also to be followed by three years of supervised release.
This case is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, which discovered the large-scale marijuana grow operation in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest near Round Mountain, Nevada, in July 2018. An employee of the U.S. Forest Service came across an apparent large marijuana growing operation while conducting fieldwork in the area of Peavine Canyon.
Further investigation revealed an active marijuana cultivation site that consisted of two plots, each approximately two acres in size. Law enforcement seized approximately 8,300 marijuana plants from the cultivation site. Mendez-Ayala and Torres were arrested by law enforcement in September 2018.
A third codefendant, Eustacio Piedra-Robledo, was sentenced in November 2019 to 33 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, for his involvement in the same marijuana grow operation. Mendez-Ayala and Torres pleaded guilty in October 2019 to one count of manufacture of a controlled substance.
U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson presided over the sentencing hearings and remanded the defendants to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. This case is a stark reminder of the serious consequences of engaging in large-scale marijuana grow operations on federal land.
The U.S. Forest Service played a crucial role in uncovering this operation, and we commend their efforts in keeping our public lands safe from illegal activities. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect our communities from the scourge of marijuana grow operations.
Related Federal Cases
- Jose Manuel Sotelo-Mendoza, Methamphetamine Distribution, Californi… · California
- Bruce Rogat, Conspiracy to Manufacture Marijuana, Nevada 2013 · Virginia
- Eric Math, Oxycodone Trafficking, Nevada 2024 · Virginia
- Jose Alfredo Molina-Guerrero, Methamphetamine Smuggling, NV 2023 · Virginia
- Jose Luis Santana, Fentanyl and Heroin Possession, CA 2021 · Iowa
Key Facts
- State: Nevada
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug Trafficking