Two Foreign Nationals Indicted For Growing 5,287 Marijuana Plants In The Lassen National Forest

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Eric Gilberto Perez, 23, of Guatemala, and Daniel Gomez-Gonzalez, 32, of Mexico, charging them with conspiracy to manufacture marijuana and manufacture of marijuana, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, on July 11, 2014, United States Forest Service agents and Tehama County Sheriff’s deputies raided a marijuana cultivation site near the North Fork Antelope Creek in Tehama County in the Lassen National Forest. Both defendants were arrested after attempting to flee from the cultivation site.  Law enforcement counted and eradicated a total of 5,287 marijuana plants from the cultivation site. The defendants are in custody.

This case was the product of an investigation by the United States Forest Service and the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Christiaan Highsmith is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, both Perez and Gomez-Gonzalez face a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Any sentence, however, would 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; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.