$10 million worth of marijuana found growing in Missouri field; two men charged

Two men are facing federal charges after nearly 2,500 marijuana plants were discovered growing in rural Missouri.

Federal prosecutors said that the estimated street value of the marijuana was about $10 million.

The operation was uncovered in Daviess County, northeast of Kansas City, in late August after an investigation by local and federal law enforcement agencies.

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors said that Sergio Medina-Perez, 44, and Miguel Pulido-Maldonado, 27, were charged in U.S. District Court with manufacturing and distributing more than 1,000 marijuana plants.

Both men are Mexican citizens who lived in California before moving to Missouri, according to prosecutors. Medina-Perez told investigators that he had previously been deported and was in the United States illegally, according to court documents.

There is no information in the documents about Pulido-Maldinado’s immigration status.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the charges, investigators found about 2,464 marijuana plants. Calculating that marijuana sells for about $1,800 per pound, officials said it was about $9,757,440 worth of drugs.