Mexican National Sentenced For Growing Marijuana On Federal Land In Trinity County

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Andres Reyes Valenzuela, 31, a Mexican national, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Garland E. Burrell, Jr. to three years and one month in prison for cultivating marijuana, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, in June 2012, federal and state agents raided a marijuana grow site in the Trinity National Forest in Trinity County. Agents first spotted Valenzuela processing marijuana plants. Initially, Valenzuela ran away from law enforcement, but he and a co-defendant were caught and arrested after a short chase. Agents eradicated a total of 7,343 marijuana plants from the cultivation site.

This case was the product of an investigation by the United States Forest Service, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Land Management. Assistant United States Attorney Christiaan Highsmith prosecuted the case.