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$10 million worth of marijuana found growing in Missouri field

$10 million worth of marijuana found growing in Missouri field
Posted at 10:48 AM, Sep 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-06 11:50:15-04

GALLATIN, Mo. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say two men are facing federal charges after nearly 2,500 marijuana plants valued at $10 million were discovered growing in rural northwest Missouri.

The men, 44-year-old Sergio Medina-Perez and 27-year-old Miguel Pulido-Maldonado, were charged Wednesday with manufacturing or distributing more than 1,000 marijuana plants.

Local and federal law enforcement agents raided the operation in Daviess County, northeast of Kansas City, in late August. The plants were in a clearing inside a large stand of timber.

The owners of three tracts that comprised the property live in California.

Prosecutors say both men are Mexican citizens who lived in California before moving to Missouri. They have both been held on immigration detainers since their arrest.