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Alex Cabrero Reporting The Mexican Mafia in Utah's Garfield County? Authorities say illegal immigrants, working as drug runners grew a huge marijuana garden on federal land in Utah. And two men, both Mexican nationals and in the United States illegally, are in jail without bail tonight.
Sheriff's deputies caught them yesterday in Panguitch. Augustine Tesco and Juan Carlos Garcia face federal drug charges. Investigators say both men may have ties to the Mexican Mafia.
They say their job was simple, grow the marijuana plants then guard the pot with guns. Authorities seized more than five thousand plants this week near Bryce Canyon.
Many people who visit Garfield County in southern Utah do so for the relative peace and quiet. Those same qualities also appeal to those up to go good.
We've all heard of marijuana busts before, but very few are as big as this one. Even Keith Millet, with the Iron County/Garfield County drug task force has never seen this much pot all at once. When he was first told about it, he had to see it to believe it.
Keith Millet, Iron/Garfield County Drug Task Force: "From the vantage point I was at, I couldn't see actually how big it was."
Fifty-four hundred pot plants growing on the Barney Top Plateau, a remote mountain in the Dixie National forest in Garfield County.
Keith Millet: "That's a rough hike to get them in and out of there. And to imagine somebody hiking in all these tools and supplies to this area, it would have taken a lot of effort."
Two suspects, 34-year old Augustine Tesco and 19-year old Juan Carlos Garcia were arrested. Deputies say they're from Mexico, here illegally, just to grow marijuana for the Mexican mafia.
Sgt. Danny Perkins, Garfield County Sheriff's Office: "This far exceeds anything that we've had in this county."
Sgt. Danny Perkins says these types of cases are becoming more common; Mexican drug rings are finding it less of a risk to grow marijuana in the United States, than to grow it in Mexico and risk getting caught crossing the border, because of tighter border security.
Sgt. Danny Perkins: "We're really concerned with this happening in our county. You know, we're concerned with hikers and hunters that should wander into something like this; as you guys know, these people were armed."
Deputies say hikers and hunters should always be aware of their surroundings. If you should come across something like this, know where you are, leave right away, and then call police. Those who grow drugs will do anything to keep it a secret.
As mentioned, this is a new problem on our borders. Federal lands in the western United States are more often becoming breeding grounds for drug farms. The US Forest service says it's seized more than a million marijuana plants from California's public lands. A special agent told the Deseret Morning News many operations are going into Arizona, New Mexico and southern Utah.
Eyewitness News showed you one such bust two years ago in Pine Valley. Drug agents seized more than 15-hundred marijuana plants and 50-pounds of packaged pot. It was worth at least two million dollars.
