Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Marijuana Cultivation in Shasta-Trinity National Forest
On July 16, 2024, Custodio Ibarra Nunez, 42, of Merced, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $17,930.30 in restitution to the United States. Nunez was found guilty of conspiracy to cultivate marijuana, marijuana cultivation, and depredation of public lands in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
Court documents reveal that between May 23 and July 8, 2019, Nunez acted as a manager in a conspiracy to cultivate over 4,000 marijuana plants on public lands south of Rays Peak. He worked with three co-conspirators: Francisco Madrigal Magana, Mario Alberto Lopez Pena, and a 17-year-old who was not charged. During a raid by United States Forest Service (USFS) agents, Magana and Pena were arrested at the site and later sentenced to 18 and 24 months in prison, respectively, for their involvement.
Nunez was not present during the raid but was later identified through an investigation that revealed his continued involvement in illegal marijuana cultivation in Merced. A search of his residence uncovered additional marijuana plants, cultivation tools, vacuum sealing devices, packaging materials, and USPS tracking receipts for shipments across the country. Nunez was indicted and arrested in February 2020 and has remained in custody since.
The case was the result of a multi-agency investigation involving the USFS, Trinity County Sheriff’s Office, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, Trinity County District Attorney’s Office, Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Team, Merced County Sheriff’s Office, Atwater Police Department, and Redding Police Department.
