Monterey County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested four men after finding a boat containing approximately $18 million worth of marijuana.
A Specialized Team Intervention Narcotics and Gang Task Force discovered a Panga boat at the Mill Creek picnic area, located near State Route 1 at Mill Creek Road in Los Padres National Forest after responding to reports around 1:30 a.m. Friday, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies and STING task force members found the boat sitting on the rocks a few feet from the shoreline and discovered that more than 100 bales of marijuana were inside.
Nobody was on the boat at the time, according to the Sheriff’s Office, but deputies uncovered evidence that indicated the suspects were still in the area. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office deputies later assisted in stopping a vehicle with four men inside who the Sheriff’s Office said were connected with the boat. All four were arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale.
Arrested were Alejandro Acosta, 25, Jesus Garibay, 24, and Alexis Garibay, 18, of Yuma, Ariz., and 27-year-old Gonzalo Quezara, or Riverside.
All four were booked into the Monterey County Jail. Deputies seized the boat and bales of marijuana as evidence.
Contact Rick Hurd at 925-945-4789 and follow him at Twitter.com/3rderh
