Sacramento Man Convicted Of Conspiracy Involving Sophisticated Indoor Residential Marijuana Grows
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Tien Le, 47, of Sacramento, was found guilty today of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana following a six-day jury trial before United States District Judge William B. Shubb, Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Special Agent in Charge Bruce C. Balzano and United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
The evidence at trial proved a conspiracy of three brothers who purchased high-end homes in Auburn and Foresthill in order to install indoor marijuana grows. The three homes had basements ideal for growing large amounts of marijuana. Le and his two brothers successfully built three elaborate 1,000-plant grows and harvested approximately 50 to 60 pounds of processed marijuana during the year-long conspiracy between 2006 and 2007.
After the guilty verdict, Judge Shubb ordered Le remanded into custody. After serving any sentence imposed in this case, Le may face deportation to China.
Le is scheduled to be sentenced on July 1, 2013, by United States District Judge William B. Shubb. He faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Placer County Sheriff’s Department, the Auburn Police Department, and the Elk Grove Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Jason S. Hitt and Jill M. Thomas are prosecuting the case.
This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF), a focused multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force investigating and prosecuting the most significant drug trafficking organizations throughout the United States by leveraging the combined expertise of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
