12 arrested in major pot bust in San Juan Bautista

Authorities in San Benito County arrested 12 people Thursday after discovering a suspected marijuana processing operation.

Members of the Unified Narcotic Enforcement Unit were investigating a property on the 9000 block of Betabel Road in San Juan Bautista for an odor of marijuana emanating from within.

Officers tried to make contact with the occupants of a vehicle leaving the property as well as an individual there but the car took off and the person ran away into the nearby woods.

Around the same time, 20-30 males fled from the building into the nearby woods and hills. Authorities were able to arrest 12 of them as they attempted to flee or hide inside.

More than 1,000 pounds of processed marijuana, most packaged for pound sales, was seized. Authorities believe the building was being used as a marijuana processing center and as a residence for the “workers,” San Benito County Sheriff’s Sgt. Eric Taylor said.

The following 12 men were arrested and booked into the San Benito County Jail on suspicion of cultivation/processing of marijuana, possession for sales of marijuana and criminal conspiracy:

Pasiano Ruiz, 23, of Fresno
Jacinto Ramirez, 50, of Selma
Roberto Sanchez Ruiz, 29, of King City
Fernando Berdugo, 20, of Salinas
Guillermo Ruiz, 25, of Santa Rosa
Jose Perez, 40, transient
Santos Ramos, 36, of East Palo Alto
Amadeo Avendanio, 24, of Morgan
Felipe Merino, 23, of Bakersfield
Benito Martinez, 23, of Gilroy
Daniel Caverro, 22, Gilroy
Joel Garcia Torres, 24, of San Jose

It’s estimated that the value of the collected marijuana is approximately $1,250,400.