Manager of Illegal Cannabis Operation in Northern California Gets 10 Years in Prison

The operation was in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. As counties have cracked down on illegal marijuana, more growers have moved to public lands.

An illegal marijuana farm outside Montague, Calif., north of Shasta-Trinity National Forest, on May 7, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

A Northern California man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on July 16 and ordered to pay nearly $18,000 in restitution for his role in managing an illegal cannabis grow site in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in 2019.

Custodio Ibarra-Nunez, 42, of Merced, was arrested a year later and ultimately found guilty of conspiracy to cultivate marijuana, marijuana cultivation, and depredation of public lands.