OAKHURST — On Tuesday morning Madera County Sheriff’s Deputies served a search sarrant on Hidden Falls Way in Oakhurst in regards to an illegal marijuana growing operation.
Deputies eradicated over 12,000 marijuana plants and arrested two people. The owners of the property were not involved in the marijuana cultivation and were very cooperative in the investigation.
When deputies arrived at the location they encountered two males in the area of the cultivation, one man dropped a pellet rifle and ran, the other man dropped a 9 mm handgun and ran, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Both men were eventually located and taken into custody.
Artemio Gonzalez-Hera, 34, of San Jose, Calif., and Jose Zaragoza Plancarte, 33, of Carnation, Wash, were arrested and booked into the Madera County Department of Corrections.
They will be charged with the illegal cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
