Newberry Springs marijuana farmers plead guilty
20 defendants each get 180 days in jail
BARSTOW • All 20 suspects arrested in two separate marijuana farm busts in Newberry Springs have pleaded guilty and will serve 180 days in jail, county court records show.
Twelve of the men pleaded guilty Thursday in Barstow Superior Court to a misdemeanor charge of cultivating marijuana, according to San Bernardino County court records. The other eight defendants also pleaded guilty on Wednesday to the misdemeanor charge.
On Oct. 10, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Marijuana Eradication Team arrested the 20 defendants in two separate busts on Fort Cady Road and Palo Verde Lane in Newberry Springs.
On the Fort Cady Road property, marijuana was cultivated inside half an acre of chain-link fence with landscaping mesh. On the Palo Verde Lane property, the marijuana was cultivated inside stables and corrals, covering 1.2 acres of land.
Officials discovered more than 1,500 marijuana plants and seized about 165 pounds of marijuana between the two properties. The defendants appeared to be living in residences on the two properties while cultivating marijuana.
All 20 defendants originally pleaded not guilty to their charges. They are being held at West Valley Detention Center.
These two arrests in Newberry Springs were part of a larger string of at least a half-dozen busts across the High Desert over the last two weeks.
