OXNARD : Marijuana Crop Seized, 2 Arrested
Narcotics officers arrested an Oxnard couple Monday on suspicion of growing a small marijuana crop in their back yard.
Detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and the Oxnard Police Department uprooted 15 marijuana plants found in the fenced back yard of Michael J. Mendoza, 28, and his wife, Donna, 24, authorities said.
The freshly harvested, 4 1/2-foot plants weighed more than 100 pounds and had an estimated street value of $60,000, authorities said.
The Mendozas were arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale, cultivation of marijuana and possession of methamphetamine, a small amount of which was uncovered in the couple’s home, Oxnard Detective Tim Combs said.
Donna Mendoza was released on $5,000 bail. Michael Mendoza was being held at Ventura County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail.
Combs said the couple had been the target of a two-week undercover investigation. The plants seized in the 7 a.m. raid were ripe for harvesting, Combs said.
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