FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Lauren Horwood
April 23, 2012	PHONE: (916) 554-2706
www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae	usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov
Docket #: 1:11-cr-358 AWI

FRESNO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Carlos Mendez-Sosa, 30, of Delano, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to grow, distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana grown on public land.

According to court documents, Mendez-Sosa was involved in growing marijuana in the Sentinel Peak area of the Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County. Agents found evidence of more than 16,205 marijuana plants, more than 850 pounds of processed marijuana, and three firearms, including an assault rifle. Native vegetation was cut to make room for the marijuana plants. Trash and fertilizer containers were scattered throughout the site, including in a flowing stream. Mendez-Sosa has agreed to pay $3,686 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service for the cleanup costs.

This case is a product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Land Management, the Southern Tri-County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), the California Department of Justice Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP), the California Department of Fish and Game, and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Mendez-Sosa, who has been detained as a flight risk and danger to the community, is scheduled for sentencing on July 2, 2012, before Chief United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii. Mendez-Sosa faces a mandatory prison term of at least 10 years and a maximum prison term of life, along with a fine of up to $10 million. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

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