SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Pablo Barreto-Cruz, 39, of Mexico, was sentenced today by United States District Judge John A. Mendez to five years and three months in prison and ordered to pay $22,800 in restitution for cultivating marijuana on public land and depredation of public lands and resources, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, between March 2015 and May 2015, Barreto-Cruz grew 2,998 marijuana plants in the Mendocino National Forest. The marijuana cultivation operation caused significant harm to the habitat and water quality of the National Forest.. Following Barreto-Cruz’s arrest on May 12, 2015, authorities searched the marijuana cultivation site and discovered approximately 1,000 pounds of irrigation pipe, approximately 1,000 pounds of camp debris, and several fertilizers and pesticides, including the highly toxic pesticide Carbofuran, which is dangerous to both humans and animals. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that the marijuana cultivation site diverted approximately 18,000 gallons of water per day.
This case was the product of an investigation by the United States Forest Service, the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Assistant United States Attorney Christiaan Highsmith prosecuted the case.