Four Held In Theft Of Marijuana Plants

[Johnny]

Four men were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of taking 23 marijuana plants from a backyard garden off Valley West Drive in west Santa Rosa.

The homeowner had a permit to grow the plants legally for medicinal use.

Witnesses in the neighborhood said they saw several men climbing a fence around the Jose Avenue home just before 1 p.m., then hauling the freshly cut plants to a car parked nearby.

Residents in the home said they had seen the men before.

"We had been seeing people circle the neighborhood for about a week," said one of the residents who asked not to be named. "Either they sniffed it out or had seen it."

The four suspects were taken into custody after police interrupted the theft, said Sgt. Steve Fraga.

Greg Cibrian, 20; Victor Raul Marin Coria, 19; Lloyd Melvin Fouche, 20; and Hector Said Magana, 22, all of Santa Rosa, were arrested on suspicion of grand theft, conspiracy and possession of marijuana.

All four of the men are known gang members, Fraga said.

A fifth suspect dropped several pounds of freshly harvested marijuana at the corner of Jose Avenue and Josefa Street and fled. Police searched the area, but did not find him, Fraga said.

The stolen plants were found in the trunk of a 1994 Cadillac sedan, as were gardening shears used to cut the plants, Fraga said.

Residents said the 4-foot-tall plants were four to six weeks away from harvest and were being grown to assist a family member suffering from knee and back pain after several operations.


News Hawk: Johnny: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Author: Laura Norton
Copyright: 2008 PressDemocrat.com
Contact: Contact Us | PressDemocrat.com
Website: Four held in theft of marijuana plants | PressDemocrat.com

 

[StonerGrower]

I cannot stand thieves!

 

[wordsworm]

If the plant was legal, that never would've happened. Blame the law, not the young folks who probably just wanted a smoke but couldn't afford it. Anyways, the owners probably should have done something to make their grow operation a little less obvious - you can easily suffice a single user's needs in a 4m2 closet for at least 100 grams per month.

 

[GuerillaGRO]

4 to six weeks early? If they were smart they would have checked to make sure they would have check for maturity first. I have had plants stolen from me before they had even shown the sex before! The first time they snapped it off at the base At least the 2nd time they were smart enough to dig them up and take the roots too! LOL! Some rippers are so funny! These are the ones that say if you hang the plants upside down the thc will drain from the roots down to the budddds. Duhhhh!

Seriously though if they are being charged with grand theft I wonder how the police are determining the value? IMO I think they take the highest possible amount someone would pay for the smallest amount anyone would sell and multiply it by the amount that they had. Say someone was caught with 10 pounds then the police would say well it costs $20 a gram and there are 448 grams in a pound so they had $7000 worth. Which is way more than just about anyone would ever pay for a pound. Plus they weigh wet if its wet when they find it.

 

[Cherma]

Hey GGro there is 454 grams in a pound 28.375 grams per oz x 16 = 454, 448 is a poor mans lb... LOL.... getting short changed on an elbow adds up over time...
rippers suck a log!!!! and yes under certain laws in states that have MMJ laws on board, the rippers can be prosecuted... this is a step in a forward direction for all of us, if the rippers are charged & convicted;;; I think punishment though should not include jail time but rather community service in educating the ones local community to the benefits of cannabis... but before all this they should somehow assist the people who they ripped in making a new & better garden area for them...
Smoke for thought here ~~~

 

[GuerillaGRO]

Where I come from everyone weighs ounces at 28 grams. I guess the convienently omit the.375 LOL!!

 

[FreakNature]

If the plant was legal, that never would've happened. Blame the law, not the young folks who probably just wanted a smoke but couldn't afford it. Anyways, the owners probably should have done something to make their grow operation a little less obvious - you can easily suffice a single user's needs in a 4m2 closet for at least 100 grams per month.

Sorry, the law didn't hold a gun to those boys' heads and make them steal those plants, and you can't blame the grower. I know what you're saying, but those boys are to blame, and they're paying for it.