FRESNO, Calif. -Ezequiel Armas-Ortiz (Armas), 49, of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced today to two years in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill for conspiring to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute, manufacturing, and possessing with intent to distribute marijuana in connection with a large-scale cultivation operation on public land, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, Armas and co-defendant Macedonio Madrigal-Herrera (Madrigal), 44, also of Mexico, were responsible for watering 2,719 marijuana plants in the Brush Creek drainage of in the Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County. The marijuana cultivation activities caused extensive damage to the public land and natural resources. Zinc phosphide, a toxic pesticide from Mexico, was found at the site, along with fertilizer and trash. Trees and plants, newly generated following the 2002 McNally Fire, were cut down to make room for the marijuana. Water was diverted from a nearby stream that supports trout. Armas was also ordered to pay $4,200 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service for the damage caused by his wrongful conduct.
Armas pleaded guilty on Oct. 19, 2015. Madrigal is scheduled for a status conference in federal court in Fresno on Jan. 19, 2016. The charges against him are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the California National Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
