Prison for Mexican national over Stanislaus forest pot farm

FRESNO -- A Mexican national was sentenced Monday to three years and 10 months in prison for cultivating marijuana in the Stanislaus National Forest, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Michoacán, Mexico resident Jesus Garcia, 53, who has four aliases, pleaded guilty to planting and cultivating 11,105 marijuana plants in Mariposa County. He was also ordered to pay $4,921 for the cost of cleaning and repairing the area in the forest where damage to the land occurred when native vegetation was cleared to plant the marijuana.

Garcia’s co-defendant, Carlos Alcaras-Cuevas, 26, also of Michoacán, Mexico, also pleaded guilty and is scheduled to appear for sentencing in March. Alcaras-Cuevas faces a mandatory prison term of 10 years and a maximum term of life, along with a fine of up to $10 million.

Both Garcia and Alcaras-Cuevas have been in custody since May 2011, after having been ordered detained as flight risks and dangers to the community.