FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Lauren Horwood
August 4, 2011	PHONE: (916) 554-2706
www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae	usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that today a federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment charging Agustin Pena-Contreras, 25, and Nemecio Garcia-Alcazar, 22, both citizens of Mexico, with cultivating marijuana plants in Tehama County.

According to court documents, on July 18, 2011, law enforcement officers eradicated 2,296 marijuana plants from three sites that were connected by well-worn paths in the Mendocino National Forest. The defendants were arrested in the third plot.

This case is the product of Operation Full Court Press, a joint state and federal investigation targeting marijuana cultivation in the Mendocino National Forest, which lies within the Eastern and Northern Districts of California. To date, Operation Full Court Press has resulted in the eradication of over a half million marijuana plants at 73 locations. Assistant United States Attorney Heiko P. Coppola is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, the defendants face a statutory penalty of 10 years to life in prison. The actual sentence, however, will 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 and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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