FRESNO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Uriel Madrigal-Perez, 23, of Bakersfield, and Silviano Madrigal-Herrera, 27, of Perris, charging them with cultivation of marijuana and conspiring to cultivate marijuana, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, both men were arrested in the early morning hours of August 4, 2017, as they left an area that was used to drop off supplies and personnel for a remote clandestine marijuana grow in the in the Upper Kern Canyon area of Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County. The grow was found to contain in excess of 1,000 marijuana plants.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel J. Montoya is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, both defendants faces a maximum statutory penalty of a minimum of 10 years to 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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
