Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Kern County Man Gets 12 Years for Illegal Sequoia Marijuana Grow
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 3 years ago on
August 12, 2022

Share

 

An illegal marijuana grower no longer will be free to destroy the Sequoia National Forest.

David Moreno Florez, 28, of Taft, received a 12-year sentence on Friday from U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston in a Fresno courtroom.

Florez’s sentence followed his guilty pleas in April to illegally growing marijuana and using an AR-15-style rifle to protect the Fresno County mountain site.

2,400 Plants, Man-Made Dams

According to court documents, the grow contained more than 2,400 marijuana plants along with chemicals, fertilizers, and man-made dams that diverted water from nearby creeks

The officers who hiked into the site in August 2019 also arrested Marino Cruz Diaz, who has pleaded guilty to charges related to the grow. He is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 19.

The U.S. Forest Service investigated the case. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

US Rep. LaMonica McIver Indicted on Federal Charges From Skirmish at New Jersey Immigration Center

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

Free Food, Haircuts, and Rapid HIV Testing Friday in Fresno

48 minutes ago

California Is a Donor State, but Can It Stop Sending Its Tax Dollars to DC?

1 hour ago

This Israeli Government Is a Danger to Jews Everywhere

Israelis, diaspora Jewry and friends of Israel everywhere need to understand that the way Israel is fighting the war in the Gaza Strip today...

17 minutes ago

17 minutes ago

This Israeli Government Is a Danger to Jews Everywhere

25 minutes ago

Bass and Other California Mayors Call for End to Immigration Raids

31 minutes ago

Justice Department to Take Narrow Approach to Prosecuting Corporate Bribery Abroad

48 minutes ago

Free Food, Haircuts, and Rapid HIV Testing Friday in Fresno

1 hour ago

California Is a Donor State, but Can It Stop Sending Its Tax Dollars to DC?

Military Vehicles on LA Freeway 101
1 hour ago

Marines Prepare to Deploy in LA as More Protests Planned Across US

2 hours ago

Harvey Weinstein Convicted of Sex Crime Amid Contentious Jury Deliberations

2 hours ago

Federal Raids Threaten California Businesses as Immigrant Workers Vanish From Job Sites

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend