Man indicted in alleged marijuana operation in Mariposa County

A man from Mexico was indicted Thursday for his alleged role in a large-scale marijuana cultivation operation discovered earlier this month in Mariposa County, the U.S. attorney’s office announced.

A federal grand jury handed down a four-count indictment against Juan Pedro Jiménez, 39, of Ensenada, Mexico. He was charged with conspiring to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana in connection with a large-scale cultivation operation in a national forest, the Justice Department said in a news release.

Jiménez was also charged with damaging public land and natural resources as a result of the marijuana cultivation activities, prosecutors said. He was found at a cultivation site July 8 on Chowchilla Mountain in the Sierra National Forest, according to court records.

Investigators removed 6,919 marijuana plants from the site and found fertilizer, trash, water lines and propane tanks.

“The cultivation activities caused extensive damage to the land and natural resources. Native trees and plants were cut down and steep hillsides were terraced to plant the marijuana. Water was diverted from a nearby creek to irrigate the plants,” U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner said in the statement.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Forest Service and Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office.

Jiménez is scheduled for arraignment Friday in federal court in Fresno. If convicted of the drug offenses, he faces up to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine for each count.

Jiménez could face another 10 years in prison if convicted of the environmental crime. He is also subject to deportation to Mexico if convicted.

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Man indicted in alleged marijuana operation in Mariposa County."