Rosario Beltran-Leal, Conspiring To Manufacture Marijuana, California 2017

A 10,000 marijuana seed drop in a remote area of the Giant Sequoia National Monument has led to a federal indictment against 43-year-old Rosario Beltran-Leal.

According to court documents, Beltran-Leal was found delivering the seeds at a drop point in a marijuana cultivation site in the monument. He was also in possession of a large quantity of food and marijuana cultivation supplies.

This case is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Tulare County Sheriff's Office.

Beltran-Leal is scheduled for arraignment on the indictment on May 17, 2017, in federal court in Fresno.

If convicted, Beltran-Leal faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Beltran-Leal is a Mexican citizen residing in Delano, California.

The charges against Beltran-Leal are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/caught-10000-marijuana-seeds-man-indicted-conspiring-plant-marijuana-giant-sequoia