CA Armed illegal pot grower

Mexican national arrested in pot bust near Mount Hamilton
By Gideon Rubin The Daily Review
Article Launched: 08/13/2008 06:41:02 PM PDT

McGLINCHEY SPRINGS — Operating on tips from a deer hunter and a private citizen, Alameda County and Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies raided a massive outdoor marijuana farm Tuesday, eradicating what's thought to be an Alameda County-record 7,000 plants, estimated to be worth $20 million, and arresting one of two suspected growers, authorities said.
Deputies found two marijuana gardens on private property in McGlinchey Springs amid rugged terrain covering about 40,000 square feet stretched across the Alameda County's southern border into part of Santa Clara County in the shadow of Mount Hamilton, Alameda County sheriff's Sgt. Shawn Peterson said.
Eziquiel Sandoval, 30, of Mexico, was arrested on multiple felony counts, Peterson said. His immigration status was not immediately known. A second suspect, about 5-foot-5 and weighing about 135 pounds, escaped through some brush, the sergeant said.
The growers clear-cut old-growth forest and pine trees and treated the area around the plants with animal poisons that will eventually run off into pristine creeks that feed into Lake Del Valle in Livermore — a "major (Environmental Protection Agency) foul," Peterson said. The garden was irrigated with water siphoned from a ranch three-quarters of a mile away, according to deputies.
Sandoval was found in possession of a loaded Glock 19 semiautomatic handgun and additional ammunition, Peterson said. He was arrested for cultivating
marijuana, possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, Peterson said, and taken to Santa Clara County Jail.
"Deer hunters, cattle ranchers or private land owners hiking on these properties coming across an armed man growing several thousand plants could be a dangerous situation," Peterson said.
Deputies found propane tanks, clothing, and food supplies in makeshift shelters the accused growers were apparently living in for several months, Peterson said. Their encampment was some seven or so miles from the nearest paved road at an elevation Peterson estimated to be about 3,000 feet.
Mountain lions, deer and wild pigs were spotted in the area, he said.
"It was like we were in the wilderness," Peterson said. "It's not something you'd expect to see that close to a metropolitan area."