California authorities believe that a desert "marijuana transaction" is what led to the fatal shooting of six men who were found in a remote area of the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said on Monday that five individuals have already been arrested in relation to the mysterious murder case. The suspects that were taken into custody were all male and ranged in age from 26 to 34 years. They could face homicide charges in relation to the crime.
In a statement during a news conference on Monday evening, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's Sgt. Michael Warrick said that they are confident that the matter appears to be a dispute over marijuana.
The department said that it first received a 911 call regarding the shooting at 8:16 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2024. The report was made by a man identified as Franklin Noel Bonilla, who said that he had been shot, as per the San Francisco Gate.
Deputies then tracked the call to an unincorporated area of Adelanto at the crossroads of Lessing Avenue and Shadow Mountain Road. The area where they went to is located 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
They later found five people deceased at the scene, two of whom were identified as 34-year-old Baldemar Mondragon-Albarran of Adelanto and 25-year-old Kevin Dariel Bonilla of Hesperia. Near the two bodies, deputies found 22-year-old Franklin of Hesperia, who was also dead. The three other deceased were not publicly identified by authorities.
Afterward, detectives arrived at the scene and determined that all six individuals had gunshot wounds, while four of them had burn injuries. A news release noted that through extensive investigation, it was determined that the victims had arranged to meet at the area for a marijuana transaction.
While officials said that the scene showed a "level of violence" that was reminiscent of a drug cartel, investigators could not immediately confirm that cartels were involved. On top of the five arrests, authorities were also able to seize eight firearms, according to AOL.
Arresting Suspects
This came after deputies served search warrants on Sunday in the Adelanto and Apple Valley areas of San Bernardino County and the Pinyon Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles County. Officials noted that they believe that all of the suspects in the case are already in custody.
The crime comes as California voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2016 and the state has since become the largest legal cannabis marketplace in the world. Now, there are billions in annual sales related to the product. However, the illegal market continues to thrive due to a variety of factors.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said that from the moment they started the investigation, they received strong leads. After he was briefed, he was confident that they were able to apprehend the subjects involved in the crime.
The sheriff added that dumped bodies connected to illegal marijuana growing was not new to the region. He said that the recent incident was not an "anomaly," Dicus noted that the unique thing about the crime was the number of people who were murdered, said the New York Times.
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