Two arrested in shooting at illegal marijuana grow

by STAFF REPORT
Staff Report | July 27, 2023 4:41 PM

EPHRATA — Two men are in Grant County Jail following a shooting at an illegal marijuana grow east of Ephrata, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

Juan Sammuel Cabrera Calderon, 49, of Hillsboro, Oregon, and Martin Chacon Martinez, 38, of Yelm were both arrested Monday on charges of second-degree assault and first-degree robbery, according to the statement. They are both currently being held on $1,000,000 bail.

At a little before 4:30 a.m. on Monday, the GCSO, along with Moses Lake and Ephrata police, responded to a report of two subjects who had sustained gunshot wounds, according to the statement.

When detectives arrived at the scene, they found an illegal marijuana grow operation on the property where the incident occurred. Members of the Grant County Sheriff's Major Crime Unit and the Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team responded to the scene to investigate.

More than 5,000 marijuana plants were eradicated, and more than 1,200 pounds of processed marijuana was seized, the statement said. An AR-style ghost gun was located on the property and seized as well as numerous chemicals and fertilizers. There was no power hooked up at the property and the electricity was provided by several generators. The approximate street value of the marijuana seized by law enforcement was more than $9 million, according to the GCSO statement.

Both victims were transported to the hospital by ambulance with serious injuries.

The investigation is ongoing, the GCSO statement said. INET is investigating the drug operation and the Major Crime Unit is investigating the assault and robbery incident. The Bureau of Reclamation, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Department of Ecology removed the illegal grow operation.

Law enforcement focuses on this type of illicit marijuana grows due to a substantial risk of structure fires caused by unpermitted and hazardous electrical modifications, the statement said. Growers also introduce chemicals into the ground by dumping by-products and chemicals out.