Two Individuals Accused of Diverting Water for Illegal Cannabis Cultivation in Mendocino County
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“On 08/22/24, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office received a community complaint regarding an illegal marijuana cultivation operation, where the suspect was possibly diverting water from a neighboring parcel in the area of the 1200 block of Deer Trail Drive near Laytonville, CA. During the investigation it was discovered that a water diversion was indeed occurring, and the water was being used to cultivate a large marijuana grow in the immediate vicinity. Deputies verified with the County of Mendocino that there were no cannabis cultivation permits for the property, and confirmed with the with the California Bureau of Cannabis Control that there were no permits on file for the grow at the state level.
After further investigation into the marijuana cultivation operation, a Mendocino County Superior County Court Judge signed a search warrant for the parcel. On 09/04/2024, representatives from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office served the search warrant with the assistance of Wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and environmental biologists. During the service of the search warrant, three male subjects were contacted and detained. The male subjects were identified as Samuel Eder, Fernando Reyes Jordan, and an additional male subject who was not responsible for the growing operation.
During the service of the search warrant, 909 total growing marijuana plants were located in 2 different outdoor grows and 8 hoop houses, along with 143 pounds of untrimmed bud marijuana. An unregistered 9-millimeter handgun was located and seized from a residence at the location. There were a total of six Fish & Wildlife violations observed during the service of the search warrant that included water diversion and water pollution in concert with the illegal marijuana cultivation.
Samuel Eder was arrested for an unrelated out-of-county arrest warrant from Humboldt County and booked into the Mendocino County Jail where he was held in lieu of $5,000.00 bail. Jordan and the other male subject were released at the scene with charges to be filed with the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office against Eder and Jordan for the illegal cultivation in concert with the Fish and Wildlife violations. Additional charges will likely be requested with the District Attorney’s Office after the environmental biologists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife prepare their formal report.”
