What's in Tulare County Orange Grove? 6,305 Pot Plants.

By Bill McEwen, News Director

Published 5 years ago on

February 18, 2020

A federal grand jury in Fresno indicted Diego Garcia Lua on Friday charging him with cultivating marijuana and maintaining a drug-involved premises.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the 61-year-old Lua used his orange orchard in Orange Cove to disguise the presence of approximately 6,305 marijuana plants he was growing there.

Tulare County Sheriff and DEA Investigation

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen A. Servatius and Katherine E. Schuh are the prosecutors.
If convicted, Lua faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine on count one and a 20-year maximum penalty and $250,000 fine on count two.
Any sentence, however, would be at the discretion of the court after consideration of applicable statutory factors and federal sentencing guidelines.

DON'T MISS

Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Long Respiratory Crisis

DON'T MISS

Musk Gives All Federal Workers 48 Hours to Explain What They Did Last Week

DON'T MISS

Fresno State Suspends 2 Players, Removes Another Amid Gambling Investigation

DON'T MISS

Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners, Citing ‘Degrading’ Hostage Handovers

DON'T MISS

Officer Killed After Gunman Took Hostages at Pennsylvania Hospital

DON'T MISS

Kash Patel Plans to Move Up to 1,500 Workers Out of Washington

DON'T MISS

Fired Employees Fear Beloved Yosemite National Park Will Lose Its Luster

DON'T MISS

US and Ukraine Nearing Rare Earths Deal That Would Tighten Relationship

DON'T MISS

Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Two Other Military Officers

DON'T MISS

Less Is More: 5 Ingredient Dinners Are Easier Than You Think

UP NEXT

Wolfie the Handsome Pup Seeks Loving Home After Life in the Wild

UP NEXT

Federal Order to End DEI Policies Has Fresno Schools Scrambling for Answers

UP NEXT

Bullard Teacher Arrested for 10 Sex Felonies Involving Student

UP NEXT

Protester Hurls Tomato at Tulare Assemblywoman During High-Speed Rail Conference

UP NEXT

Rate the SE Fresno City Council Candidates Before You Vote

UP NEXT

Who Won Fresno GOP Leadership Fight? State Party Decides

UP NEXT

Voletta Wallace, Notorious B.I.G.’s Mother and Keeper of His Legacy, Dies at 78

UP NEXT

Fresno Police to Conduct Weekend DUI Checkpoint

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Ryan Andrew Kitchener

UP NEXT

Bullard Teacher Arrested for Inappropriate Behavior With a Minor, Principal Says

Bill McEwen,

News Director

Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email