Mexico resident arrested in Penryn after deputies find large marijuana-grow operation

A Mexico resident was arrested by Placer deputies on Oct. 30 after they found a large-scale marijuana cultivation operation in Penryn.

In a news release, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said Apolonio Chavez Guijosa was taken into custody after a search was conducted on a Taylor Road property.

Neighbors had apparently been complaining of a reek of pot emanating from the property, leading detectives to obtain a search warrant.

Deputies searching the property found two so-called “hoop houses,” greenhouse-like structures typically made of PVC piping and draped tarps meant to house marijuana-grow operations.

The search yielded 345 mature marijuana plants. According to Placer County ordinance, large-scale and commercial marijuana cultivation is prohibited.

Deputies believe Guijosa, 29, had been working on the property for months, cultivating marijuana as part of a lease agreement between the property owner and a drug-trafficking organization.

“The Sheriff’s Office has seen an increase in these types of lease/grow arrangements, which has resulted in large scale marijuana cultivation operations moving from remote forest lands into our rural neighborhoods,” the news release said. “While the financial profits from drug trafficking can be tempting, property owners entering into business relationships with DTOs (drug trafficking organizations) can be charged as a criminal accessory and as a member of a conspiracy to their criminal enterprise.”

The Sheriff’s Office said it submitted charges against the owner of the property to the Placer County District Attorney.

Since his arrest, Guijosa posted $10,000 in bail and was released from jail, according to the release.

The Sheriff’s Office said it has seen an increase in lease agreements for marijuana cultivation, pushing grow operations out of remote forests and into rural neighborhoods like Penryn.

“In addition to drug trafficking, many of these DTOs are involved in human trafficking and have abducted Mexican residents to bring them to these grows to manage their operations while they maintain a distance from the operation to avoid arrest by law enforcement,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “Violence is often associated with these illegal cultivation operations, like we recently saw in El Dorado County, which resulted in the tragic death of Deputy Brian Ishmael.”