SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Gabriel Sanchez-Madris, 41, and Mark Espinoza, 26, charging them with manufacturing marijuana and conspiring to do the same, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Sanchez-Madris and Espinoza were arrested by law enforcement on Aug. 1, 2017, following a search of a marijuana-cultivation site in the Cub Creek area of Lassen National Forest in Tehama County. The site contained approximately 2,640 marijuana plants.
This case is the product of an investigation by the United States Forest Service, the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
If convicted of the marijuana charges, Sanchez-Madris and Espinoza both face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a maximum penalty of 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 several variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
