San Benito County Authorities Seized Million Dollars In Marijuana
Authorities Arrested 12 Suspects
SAN JUAN BAUTISTA—Agents with the United Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET) arrested 12 people who were on the property at the 9644 Betabel Road because they believed they were cultivating and processing marijuana for sale. The building, known as the Betabel Station Event Center, is currently listed for sale.
Investigators found massive quantities of harvested marijuana.
On October 16, The UNET team was watching the property because of an odor of marijuana had been detected. Agents tried to contact some occupants who were just outside the property, but they took off in a vehicle, and one who was standing outside the vehicle ran into the woods behind the property.
Alerted to what was going on outside, several men ran from the building into the woods and hills. But authorities were still able to arrest 12 people as they tried to leave or were attempting to hide in the building.
Arrested were 20-year-old Fernando Berdugo of Salinas, 22-year-old Daniel Caverro of Gilroy, 23-year-old Pasiano Ruiz of Fresno, 23-year-old Felipe Merino of Bakersfield, 23-year-old Benito Martinez of Gilroy, 24-year-old Joel Garcia Torres of San Jose, 25-year-old Guillermo Ruiz of Santa Rosa, 29-year-old Roberto Sanchez Ruiz of King City, 36-year-old Santos Ramos of East Palo Alto, 40-year-old Jose Perez of East Palo alto, and 50-year-old Jacinto Ramirez of Selma.
The interior of the building.
“As a Result of the search warrant authorities seized more than thousand pounds of processed marijuana, the marijuana was packaged for sales in one-pound packages.” San Benito County Sheriff’s Captain Eric Taylor wrote in a press release, “It is believed that this structure was being used as a marijuana processing center and a residence for ‘workers’.”
All twelve suspects were transported and booked into the San Benito County Jail. The value of the marijuana was approximately 1,250,400.00 dollars.
Read More:
Benito Link: Pot bust nets half a ton of marijuana, 12 arrests
