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Man Fined, Sentenced To 2 Years In Prison For Growing Pot On Forest Land

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A 26-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced to two years in prison for growing marijuana and destroying national forest land in California.

The U.S. attorney's office says in addition to receiving prison time, Horacio Sierra Campos was ordered Tuesday to pay more than $9,000 in restitution for cleanup costs.

Campos was arrested last year and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana and one count of depredation of public lands.

Prosecutors say he grew nearly 10,000 pot plants in Trinity Alps Wilderness in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. More than 800 pounds of processed marijuana was also found at the site.

Authorities say the cultivation caused significant environmental damage. Investigators found a trash pit within 100 yards of a creek that feeds into the Trinity River.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.

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