07/10/2008
Defendant Receives 120 Months in Federal Prison for Role in Large Scale Marijuana Grow
Portland, Ore. – On July 7, 2008, United States District Court Judge Anna J. Brown sentenced Luis Sandoval-Arrellano, 35, and a Mexican national, to 120 months in prison for Conspiracy to Manufacture More Than One Thousand Marijuana Plants. The lengthy sentence comes after the Oregon State Police, the Mid-Columbia Interagency Narcotics Team, the United States Forest Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a thorough investigation into what started as a complaint about illegal hunting.
“This case demonstrates a great cooperative working relationship between state and federal law enforcement partners,” stated U.S. Attorney Karin Immergut. “With the help of their dedicated efforts and hard work, we are committed to eradicating large-scale marijuana grow operations.”
Sandoval-Arellano’s journey to ten years in prison began on May 28, 2007, when two Oregon State Police troopers investigating a complaint about illegal hunting noticed an unusual rock in the road marking a trail into the woods. Following the trail, they found Sandoval-Arellano and a second man who fled from the troopers. Sandoval-Arellano initially claimed he was in the woods hunting for turkeys with a Glock handgun. However, the troopers followed his boot prints back along a trail which led to an outdoor marijuana grow with more than 7,000 marijuana plants.
“All of us are committed to preserving and protecting our public lands from the depredation of drug trafficking,” said Barb Severson, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, United States Forest Service.
Sandoval-Arellano, and others who were involved with this large-scale marijuana grow, damaged public lands and water sources in the process of establishing and maintaining the marijuana plants for their personal gain. They also posed an armed threat to hikers or other citizens present on the public lands. Sandoval-Arellano has a prior conviction for growing marijuana in California.
