Indictment issued in Alpaugh marijuana bust

A grand jury has issued an indictment against 31 people accused of growing marijuana in a large-scale operation, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.

They were arrested in April when the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department raided 49 greenhouses on a remote 10-acre parcel near Alpaugh.

The indictment, obtained last week, was unsealed Sept. 21 when most of the defendants were arraigned, Assistant District Attorney Anthony Fultz said.

The indictment was sought for reasons of “judicial economy” because of the sheer number of defendants, many who don’t speak English and require translators, he said.

The indictment avoids the need for a preliminary hearing and moves the case to trial, he said. A trial date is expected to be set next week.

This story was originally published September 22, 2015 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Indictment issued in Alpaugh marijuana bust."