News Release

Prison time for a man who ran a drug cultivation operation in Sequoia

Date: August 3, 2015
Contact: Investigative Services Branch, [phone]

The illegal drug cultivation operation in Sequoia National Park caused great harm to an area known for its wildflower displays.

NPS Photo

Thanks to a solid investigation by an ISB Special Agent, a federal judge sentenced a man to two years in prison for cultivating marijuana within Sequoia National Park. The sentence was handed down in early August to Toribio Cruz-Galvan, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to manufacture and distribute marijuana, as well as possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Investigators linked Cruz-Galvan to the operation by fingerprint and other evidence found at the site, and they intercepted his supply vehicle shortly before finding the site. Cruz-Galvan, an undocumented Mexican national, was indicted by a federal grand jury in October of 2014.

Cruz-Galvan's illegal operation caused great harm to the national park as well as the wildlife and vegetation therein. He cultivated more than a thousand marijuana plants near Yucca Mountain, and in doing so brought in fertilizer, poison, fuel, and diverted more than a million gallons of water from a nearby spring. He also stocked firearms, ammunition, processed marijuana, and hundreds of pounds of trash at the grow site. If you see something suspicious in a National Park System site, stay safe and tell us about it by calling our toll-free Tip Line: 888-653-0009. You don't have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know.

ISB is on the web atwww.nps.gov/isb 

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