Local News

52 Arrests Across 40 Counties as Part of Statewide Campaign to Combat Illegal Cannabis Grows

SAN DIEGO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the arrest of 52 individuals as part of the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) Program, which is the largest illegal marijuana eradication program in the nation. This year, CAMP eradicated 614,267 plants in over 254 illegal grow sites across the state. Agents also seized 110 weapons.

“This year’s results put an exclamation point behind California’s multi-agency illegal cannabis campaign, holding accountable individuals who damage our public lands and hurt our communities,” said Attorney General Becerra. “At the California Department of Justice, we will continue to work with our partners at the federal, state, and local levels through our CAMP program to vigorously enforce California’s laws against illegal cannabis activity.”

Jorge Gracia Convicted of All Counts in Fresno/Madera County Shooting Spree

FRESNO - Jorge Javier Gracia (42, of Kerman) has been convicted of all nineteen (19) felony charges related to a Fresno County shooting spree during the months of November and December 2017, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office has announced.

As a result of today’s convictions, Mr. Gracia faces a sentence of over two hundred (200) years to life in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation when he is sentenced by the Honorable Judge Sanderson on November 5, 2018, in Department 53 of the Fresno County Superior Court. However, upon reaching age sixty (60) and after serving twenty-five (25) years, Mr. Gracia will be eligible for early release under the Elderly Parole Program.

Indictment Unsealed Charging Sacramento Man with International Money Laundering and Indoor Marijuana Grows in Northern California

SACRAMENTO - A 10-count indictment was unsealed today charging Daniel Zhu, 38, of Sacramento, with conspiracy to commit international money laundering, substantive counts of international money laundering, and conspiracy to manufacture and manufacturing of marijuana, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. This is the second indictment stemming from Operation Lights Out—an operation that has already resulted in federal forfeiture actions against over 100 homes in the Sacramento area earlier this year.

According to court documents, Zhu conspired with others to grow marijuana, and Zhu grew marijuana plants at three locations in Sacramento and Amador Counties. Moreover, Zhu is charged in two separate money laundering conspiracies that entailed international wires from China being used to purchase real estate in California that was subsequently turned into a marijuana cultivation site. Zhu is also charged with substantive money laundering counts for several wires from China to the United States to convert residences in Elk Grove and Fiddletown into indoor marijuana grow sites.

Unemployment Drops to its Lowest Level Since the 1960's

NEW YORK - The headline of today's employment report is the drop in the unemployment rate to 3.7 percent, the lowest rate since December 1969. For close to two-thirds of the US population, this is the lowest unemployment rate in their lifetime.

The tightening of the labor market is leading to a more visible acceleration in wages. In the past four quarters, average hourly earnings increased by 2.8 percent and accelerated to 3.1 percent in the past two quarters. The acceleration in wages is especially visible among blue collar occupations, where it is essentially back to pre-recession rates.

Two Charged with Methamphetamine Distribution Conspiracy, Firearms Violations, and Assault on a Federal Officer

FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment today against Ruben Gonzalo Duran-Sanchez, 42, and Daniel Delgado, 27, both Mexican nationals, charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Delgado is also charged with assault on a federal officer.

According to court documents, on September 26, 2018, the defendants were arrested when they went to Shafter to sell 10 pounds of crystal methamphetamine to a confidential source. Sanchez was arrested without incident and was found to possess a stolen and loaded Sig Sauer .380 pistol. Delgado, resisted arrest, and in his attempt to flee, rammed into a California Highway Patrol vehicle and a DEA undercover vehicle injuring an officer.