The California Department of Fish and Wildlife assisted with this investigation
“We must work to keep our parks, forests and public land free from the illegal growing and cultivation of marijuana as it can harm the environment and poses a threat to public safety.”
CSLEA President Alan Barcelona
SACRAMENTO – On July 16, 2024, Custodio Ibarra Nunez, 42, of Merced, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $17,930.30 in restitution to the United States, for conspiracy to cultivate marijuana, marijuana cultivation, and depredation of public lands in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
According to court documents, between May 23 and July 8, 2019, Nunez was a manager in a conspiracy to cultivate more than 4,000 marijuana plants south of Rays Peak on public lands in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest with three co-conspirators: Francisco Madrigal Magana, Mario Alberto Lopez Pena, and a 17-year-old who was not charged. United States Forest Service (USFS) agents arrested Magana and Pena at the site. Magana and Pena were later convicted and sentenced to 18 months and 24 months in prison, respectively, for conspiracy to manufacture marijuana and depredation of public lands and resources.
Nunez was not present at the illegal cultivation site during the law enforcement raid. Subsequent investigation led to his identification, and revealed that he continued to engage in illegal marijuana cultivation with the uncharged minor in Merced. A search of his residence resulted in the discovery of additional marijuana plants, marijuana cultivation tools and supplies, vacuum sealing devices, and packaging material, including evidence of USPS tracking receipts for shipments across the county. Nunez was indicted and arrested in February 2020, and has remained in custody since.
This case was the product of an investigation by the USFS, the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management, the Trinity County District Attorney’s Office the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Team, Merced County Sheriff’s Office, the Atwater Police Department, and the Redding Police Department.
