Ismail J. Ramsey, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California
Jacinto Correa Cruz, a 56-year-old Mexican national, received a 60-month federal prison sentence for his involvement in an illegal cannabis cultivation operation within the Los Padres National Forest. U.S. District Judge Eumi K. Lee issued the sentence.
On December 17, 2024, Correa Cruz pleaded guilty to depredation of federal lands and the manufacture and possession with intent to manufacture and distribute marijuana. He acknowledged damaging federal property by participating in the illegal marijuana grow operation and knowingly cultivating marijuana.
Court documents revealed Correa Cruz's arrest in July 2022 during a multi-agency search of one of the largest illegal marijuana cultivation operations on federal land, known as the "Ventana Complex." This complex, situated in the Ventana Wilderness area of the national forest, is part of a federally protected region recognized as a biodiversity hotspot with numerous threatened and endangered species.
The investigation into the Ventana Complex followed the 2020 Dolan Fire, which claimed the life of a firefighter and twelve condors. The fire was started by a marijuana grower at an illegal cultivation site in the same area of the Los Padres National Forest. The investigation exposed that, from 2021 to 2022, the Ventana Complex consisted of at least seven interconnected illegal marijuana sites.
At the cultivation site where Correa Cruz was apprehended, two plots were cleared of native vegetation, providing space for approximately 10,000 marijuana plants. Law enforcement discovered a camp equipped with a tent, 15 sleeping bags, a kitchen area, thousands of pounds of trash, dead animal parts, and a substantial amount of hazardous materials and chemicals. An environmental assessment found the illegal operation diverted approximately 33,780 gallons of water daily, exacerbating the area's severe drought conditions.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins, Brandon Robinson, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations, Pacific Southwest Region, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani.
Judge Lee also ordered Correa Cruz to pay $35,074 in restitution and sentenced him to three years of supervised release. He was immediately taken into custody following sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne C. Hsieh, with the support of Sara Slattery, is prosecuting the case. The prosecution resulted from an investigation conducted by the U.S. Forest Service and the FBI, with assistance from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
