Eugene, Ore. – Ten men were indicted by a federal grand jury on August 18, 2009 for growing marijuana on public lands in Eastern Oregon.
Eight of the men were arrested on August 2 in Eastern Oregon and a ninth man was arrested in Central Washington on August 5. They are identified as Agustin Mendoza-Mendoza, 26, Joel Birrueta-Contreras, 26, Jacobo Mendoza-Mendoza, 27, Jose Sanchez-Torres, 25, and Jose Palominos-Mendoza, 26, all of Pasco, WA; Guadalupe Garcia-Valencia, 30, of Yakima, WA, Oswaldo Rubio-Perez, 38 of Modesto, CA, Gerardo Corona-Ochoa, 28, of San Angelo, TX and Joel Castillo-Larios, 23 of Los Molinos, CA. One of the defendants, David Rivera-Corona, 39, of Benton County, WA is a fugitive. The case involves the seizure of over 30,000 marijuana plants growing on Bureau of Land Management lands in Malheur County, Oregon. The marijuana has a street value in excess of $30,000,000.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. The United States Attorney’s Office is working with the Bureau of Land Management and the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation and prosecution of this case. The Central Oregon Drug Enforcement team successfully investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U. S. Attorney Stephen H. Gunnels.
