More than 8,700 pounds of marijuana worth over $7.8 million was seized at an illegal outdoor grow site in a remote wilderness area of Lincoln County, according to the Nevada State Police.
Jesus Garcia Lopez, Antonio Madrigal and Marcelino Madrigal were charged with trafficking marijuana of more than 5,000 pounds and were booked into the Lincoln County Detention Center, police said in a news release Monday.
In February, a hunter contacted the NSP’s Investigation Division and said he believed he had walked into an illegal outdoor marijuana grow site while scouting in the mountains. Surveillance and reconnaissance operations were conducted, and it was determined that the site was a historical grow site that had again become active, the release said.
In addition to the NSP, officials with the National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Bureau of Land Management, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Eastern Nevada Narcotic Task Force, Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Forest Service participated in the Sept. 18 operation.
Authorities advise those who come across a suspected illegal grow site to leave the area immediately and contact the NSP Investigation Division at 775-684-7412.
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