Father and son from Mexico plead guilty in south Texas to manufacturing marijuana in grow field involving more than 9,000 plants
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A father and son from Mexico pleaded guilty Friday to manufacturing marijuana in a south Texas grow field with more than 9,000 plants.
These guilty pleas were announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Miguel Echevarria-Zuniga, 52, and Miguel Echevarria-Guizar, 22, both Mexican citizens, pleaded guilty April 3 to manufacturing marijuana in the area of Willacy County, Texas.
These charges stem from an August 2014 HSI investigation which revealed that part of a 40-acre tract of land in a rural area of Willacy County was being used to grow marijuana. Special agents discovered more than 9,000 marijuana plants growing in the field.
HSI special agents arrested both men as they attempted to abscond from the area. Fingerprint analysis linked both defendants to items found in the marijuana field. Special agents also searched a storage shed which was rented by Echevarria-Zuniga and found sales receipts for items found in the marijuana field.
“The marijuana grown by these men was the start of a complex drug trafficking organization distribution process,” said Deputy Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of HSI San Antonio. “HSI will continue to utilize its broad authorities to dismantle criminal organizations who blatantly ignore the laws of this nation.
Sentencing for both men is scheduled for July 6. At that time, they each face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison, as well as a $10 million fine. Echevarria-Zuniga also pleaded guilty to being an alien found in the United States after having been deported. Based on this additional felony conviction, Echevarria-Zuniga faces an additional maximum of 20 years imprisonment, as well as a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Israel Cano III and David A. Coronado, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.
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