Manager of Marijuana cultivation site receives prison time
Merced Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Illegal Marijuana Cultivation in Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
A Merced man was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $17,930.30 in restitution to the United States for conspiracy to cultivate marijuana, marijuana cultivation, and depredation of public lands in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
According to court documents, between May 23 and July 8, 2019, Custodio Ibarra Nunez, 42, of Merced, was a manager in a conspiracy to cultivate over 4,000 marijuana plants south of Rays Peak on public lands in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest with three other co-conspirators: Francisco Madrigal Magana, Mario Alberto Lopez Pena, and an uncharged 17-year-old minor.
USFS agents arrested Magana and Lopez at the site. The U.S. Department of Justice said Magana and Pena were later convicted and sentenced to 18 months and 24 months in prison, respectively, for conspiracy to manufacture marijuana and depredation of public lands and resources.
During the law enforcement raid, Nunez was absent at the illegal cultivation site. A follow-up investigation led to his identification and revealed that he continued to engage in illegal marijuana cultivation with the uncharged minor in Merced. The DOJ said a search of his residence resulted in the discovery of additional marijuana plants, marijuana cultivation tools and supplies, vacuum sealing devices, and packaging material, including evidence of USPS tracking receipts for shipments across the county. Nunez was indicted and arrested in February 2020 and has remained in custody since.
