Guilty Plea In Madera County Marijuana Grow

FRESNO, Calif. —Sokhang Nguon, 22, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to cultivating marijuana, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, Nguon and three others were arrested on August 16, 2012, when state and federal agents searched a rural property in Chowchilla. More than 2,000 marijuana plants and several firearms were seized.

Nguon’s three co-defendants have pleaded guilty and have already been sentenced: Youn Yen was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison; Mayo Martinez Murillo was sentenced to five years in prison; and Thorn Meas was sentenced to three years in prison.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Madera Narcotics Enforcement Team (MADNET). Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Rooney is prosecuting the case.

Nguon has been in custody since his arrest and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Anthony W. Ishii on November 10, 2014. Nguon faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine. 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.