LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A spring overflight led to the eradication late last week of two large illicit marijuana grow sites on federal lands and the arrest of a Bakersfield man.

Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said that on Thursday the Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit and law enforcement personnel from allied agencies eradicated 17,536 marijuana plants on Bureau of Land Management property.

Brooks said authorities also arrested Alvar Santis Alvarez, 32.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit conducted overflight missions in early April to locate and identify illegal marijuana cultivation sites within Lake County, Brooks said.

During the overflight detectives located two large scale marijuana cultivation operations on public land near Indian Valley Reservoir. Brooks said each site was estimated to contain several thousand marijuana plants.

On Thursday, after months of surveillance, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Detectives along with law enforcement personnel from the Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service and the California Department of Justice, conducted an early morning arrest operation, Brooks said.

Brooks said the law enforcement personnel were split into two teams, which conducted their operations on both cultivation sites simultaneously. 

During the arrest operation on the northern cultivation site, detectives encountered Santis Alvarez tending to the marijuana plants, Brooks said.

Once Santis Alvarez noticed law enforcement was inside the cultivation site, he attempted to flee on foot. Brooks said Santis Alvarez was apprehended moments later by a law enforcement canine.

A second unidentified Hispanic male also fled the site and, after an extensive search, could not be located, Brooks said.

Brooks said the grow site was located on Bureau of Land Management public land.

The detectives noticed that the grow site was set up with a sophisticated gravity fed irrigation system, which was fed from a creek. Brooks said they also located a cooking area with a camp set up for two occupants.

The grow site contained 11,523 marijuana plants which were eradicated, Brooks said.

Brooks said the second cultivation site located on the east side of Indian Valley Reservoir also contained two Hispanic male suspects who fled on foot during the operation. Detectives searched the area and were unable to locate the suspects. 

The cultivation site also was located on Bureau of Land Management public land and was set up with a sophisticated gravity fed irrigation system, Brooks said.

Detectives said the suspects were pulling the water out of a natural spring. Brooks said the detectives also located a cooking area with a camp which was set up for two occupants.

Brooks said a total of 6,013 marijuana plants were located and eradicated from the site. 

Alvar Santis Alvarez was arrested for the cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and resisting arrest, Brooks said.

Alvarez was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, with bail set at $35,000. He remained in custody on Monday evening, according to booking records.

Save