Feds indict 2 for pot growing

A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment last week charging Jose Pelayo, 35, and Nemesio Reyna Ortega, 19, with cultivating at least 1,000 marijuana plants, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported.

The indictment alleges that on Aug. 6, the men were growing marijuana in Tehama County on federal land, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported.

This case is the product of a joint investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, Tehama County Sheriff's Office, and the California Department of Fish and Game, which teamed up to clean up illegal marijuana grow sites on Lassen National Forest lands on the Almanor Ranger District.

For the week Pelayo and Ortega were arrested, the team raided and eradicated 27 different marijuana grow sites for more than 98,0000 plants with an estimated street value of $490 million.

Pelayo and Ortega were two of three men arrested during that series of raids.

If convicted, Pelayo and Ortega face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years to life in prison, a $4 million fine, and five years of supervised release.