A Livingston man was sentenced to more than two years in prison for his role in a marijuana grow operation.
Ramon Torres-Arreola, aka Ramon Torrez, aka Alejandro Torres-Arida, 39, was sentenced to 27 months in prison for conspiring to grow, distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. He is subject to deportation following his sentence, according to the Department of Justice.
According to federal court documents, in 2010, Torres-Arreola conspired with Juan Garcia-Galvez, aka Juan Galviz Garcia, 38, of Merced; Praxedis Barragan, 40, of Winton; and others to grow 3,451 marijuana plants on private ranchland in the Bailey Flats area of Raymond in Madera County. The same area has been the site of other marijuana cultivation operations in the past. In 2009, law enforcement officers eradicated approximately 1,228 marijuana plants and, in 2011, they eradicated 3,847 marijuana plants from the site.
Garcia-Galvez and Barragan pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on April 16.
This case is the product of an investigation conducted under the umbrella of Operation Trident by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of Homeland Security Investigations, Madera County Narcotic Enforcement Team, and the Madera SWAT team.