A man convicted for his role in a “large-scale” illegal cannabis growing operation within a national forest in Central California has been sentenced to federal prison, prosecutors said.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of California, a judge on Tuesday sentenced Jacinto Correa Cruz to a 60 month prison term, more than $35,074 in restitution and three years of supervised release.

Correa Cruz, a Mexican national, pled guilty in December to one count of depredation of federal lands and one count of manufacture of and possession with intent to manufacture and distribute marijuana.

Court documents said Correa Cruz was arrested in July 2022 after authorities located the cannabis grow in the Ventana Complex of the Los Padres National Forest in Monterey County.

The complex is located within the sprawling Ventana Wilderness, a 240,000 acre region that is federally protected. Prosecutors described the area as a top “biodiversity hotspot” and “home to more threatened and endangered species than any other national forest in California.”

Authorities began investigating the Ventana Complex following the Dolan Fire in 2020, which was started by an illegal cannabis grower in the same region of the forest. The investigation revealed that the complex had at least seven interconnected growing sites between 2021 and 2022.

The Dolan Fire burned 125,000 acres, killed one firefighter and 12 condors, a critically endangered species. Ivan Gomez, who was convicted of starting the fire, is serving a 24-year prison sentence.

Prosecutors said the grow Correa Cruz was involved in was cleared of most native vegetation to make way for about 10,000 cannabis plants. Within the illegal cannabis grow was a camp with a tent, 15 sleeping bags and a kitchen area with thousands of pounds of trash and dead animal parts.

Authorities also located what was described as “significant quantities” of hazardous materials and chemicals. Prosecutors said an assessment of environmental damage found the operation used more than 33,000 gallons of water each day, while the area was in the midst of a drought described as “severe.”

Correa Cruz was remanded into custody at Tuesday’s sentencing hearing.

• Marijuana
• Cannabis
• Drug Bust
• Monterey County