June 29, 2017 – On June 29, 2017 at approximately 0500 hours, Nevada County Sheriff’s Deputies along with Fish and Game and Investigators from the District Attorney’s Office executed a search warrant on a 140 acre ranch in Penn Valley for a possible Drug Trafficking Operation (DTO) marijuana grow. Two people on scene were detained and later placed under arrest for illegal marijuana cultivation. Over 8000 marijuana plants were located. The plants ranged in size from 16 inches to 5 feet tall. The majority of plants were ready for harvest.
Jesse Niesen, age 41 of Rough and Ready, was arrested and booked this morning on cultivation charges for the 8000 marijuana plants located today. Mr. Niesen was located within proximity to the marijuana garden area in a tent. Additionally, Espinoza Hernandez, age 38 of Tlaxcala, MX was arrested on scene for the same offense.
While executing the warrant, several Hispanic males were stopped and questioned as they tried to enter onto the property. When asked why they were there, they claimed they were there to do some work for Mr. Niesen. After their information was provided, they were released from the scene.
Due to the damage done to the land and the possibility of illegal excavation without a permit, Code Enforcement was notified. Code Enforcement officials arrived on scene and conducted an inspection of what appeared to be severe excavation damage of the property.
Thank you Thank you Thank you,
I am so blessed to be reading this article. Thank you for doing the job you are paid to do. You are all awesome.
Sincerely, Lynn Salmoria