The Seized Marijuana Had A Street Value Of 18 Million Dollars
SOUTH MONTEREY COUNTY — Authorities with the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office, the United States Coast Guard and deputies with the Monterey County Sheriff’s office arrested nine suspects after a panga boat transporting marijuana was tracked to a day use area of Mill Creek in Southern Monterey County. Only one suspect was from California; the others were from Yuma, Arizona or Mexico.
Arrested were Alejandro Acosta, a 25-year-old from Yuma, Gonzalo Ruiz Quezada, a 27-year-old from Riverside, California, Jesus Garibay, a 24-year-old from Yuma, Alexis Felix Garibay, an 18-year-old from Yuma, Juan Rojo, a 20-year-old of Mexico, Jose Sanchez, a 38-year-old from Mexico, Victor Sandoval-Cardenas, a 40-year-old of Mexico, Jesus Israel Carrion-Corrales, a 51-year-old of Mexico, and Aaron Quintero, a 23-year-old from Yuma.
A typical “Panga” boat used in smuggling along the coastal waters of California and Mexico.
On June 12, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office and the US Coast Guard had been tracking a panga boat that was off their coast northbound until it came to rest in the Mill Creek Picnic Area area at Big Sur in Southern Monterey County.
The boat was found sitting on some rocks a few feet away from the shoreline. It contained over a hundred bales of marijuana. At the time of the boat’s seizure, there was no one around the boat, but there was evidence that the suspects were still in the area.
Deputies from the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle that was near the day use area and contacted the occupants. It was later determined that they were associated with the boat, and had some marijuana inside. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office was called, informed of the incident and responded. Four of the suspects – Acosta, Quedada, and the two Garibays were arrested at that time. The other five suspects were arrested over the next few days.
The Monterey County STING task force was mobilized to help with the investigation. The suspects were booked into the Monterey County Jail, and the boat and the marijuana were taken as evidence. The street value of the marijuana was estimated at 18 million dollars.
