Processing operation found after school reports 12-year-old student smells of marijuana

Ten Modesto children were taken into the custody of Child Protective Services after one of them showed up at school smelling of marijuana on Monday, authorities said.

An administrator at an undisclosed school requested a security check at the 12-year-old girl’s home on Panama Drive in west Modesto, said Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear.

When officers arrived they found a large marijuana processing operation with hundreds of pounds of marijuana and 10 children, ranging in age from 2 months to 17 years old.

Child Protective Services was called to the home to take custody of the children and the Stanislaus County Drug Enforcement Agency seized the marijuana and assisted with the investigation.

Alma Rocio Rangel-Zamora, 35, and Maria Dominguez Vargas, 33, were arrested on suspicion of child endangerment.

Romero Robledo Bruno, 48, and Benito Villlobos Loya, 35, were arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale and child endangerment.

Bear said Rangel-Zamora is the mother of five of the children and Vargas is the mother of three.

She said the 17-year-old is “associated” with Vargas and the 2-month old is the teen’s baby.

This story was originally published November 7, 2018 at 12:29 PM.