Two men were arrested Friday afternoon after Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies executing a search warrant discovered approximately 8,000 cannabis plants in a large-scale indoor cultivation operation on a rural property east of Alderpoint, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Mario Sandoval-Diaz, 38, and Eduardo Vega-Martinez, 31, were booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of illegal cannabis cultivation, possession for sale, and theft of utility services. Both men were being held on $250,000 bail as of Monday morning.

The operation was spread across four large structures, two metal buildings and two converted barns, on a 40-acre parcel accessible by a single-lane dirt road off Alderpoint Road. Deputies said the structures had been extensively modified for indoor cultivation, with sealed rooms, commercial-grade HVAC systems, lighting rigs, and a CO2 supplementation setup.

“This was a professional indoor operation, not a garage grow,” said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Samantha Karges. “The infrastructure alone represents a six-figure investment.”

The warrant was obtained after a two-month investigation that began with a complaint from Pacific Gas & Electric about anomalous power consumption on the parcel. PG&E reported that the property’s electrical load had increased by approximately 800 percent over the previous 12 months, a pattern consistent with large-scale indoor cultivation. Deputies corroborated the tip with thermal imaging from a public road adjacent to the property, which showed heat signatures consistent with the structures housing high-intensity lighting.

Inside the buildings, deputies found plants in various stages of growth, from clones in a propagation room to mature flowering plants within days of harvest. The estimated wholesale value of the plants, based on current indoor market prices, is approximately $2 million at maturity, though the Sheriff’s Office cautioned that valuation estimates are imprecise.

Deputies also recovered 36 pounds of dried, trimmed cannabis flower, $23,400 in cash, two handguns, and packaging materials consistent with distribution. Neither firearm was registered, and Sandoval-Diaz faces an additional charge of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm due to a prior felony conviction in Oregon.

The power theft charge relates to modifications deputies found at the property’s electrical meter. The meter had been bypassed using a direct tap into the PG&E service line, routing power around the meter to avoid detection and billing. PG&E estimates the unpaid electricity consumed by the operation at between $180,000 and $220,000 over the past year.

The property is not permitted for cannabis cultivation. County records show no active cannabis permits associated with the parcel, and the property’s zoning does not allow commercial cultivation. The owner of the parcel, who lives out of state, has not been charged. Deputies said the investigation into the property owner’s knowledge and involvement is continuing.

“In a lot of these cases, the property owner leases the land to someone who says they’re running a legal farm, and maybe they believe that, or maybe they don’t,” Karges said. “That’s what the investigation will determine.”

The Alderpoint area has long been one of the most active zones for both legal and illegal cannabis cultivation in Humboldt County. Its remote terrain, sparse population, and limited law enforcement presence make it attractive to large-scale operators who want to avoid detection. The Sheriff’s Office said it has executed seven search warrants in the Alderpoint area this year, resulting in the seizure of more than 22,000 plants across all operations.

Both Sandoval-Diaz and Vega-Martinez are scheduled for arraignment in Humboldt County Superior Court on Thursday. The Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office said it is reviewing the case for potential additional charges related to environmental violations, as deputies observed what appeared to be unpermitted grading and water diversion on the property.

Anyone with information about illegal cannabis operations in Humboldt County can contact the Sheriff’s Office tip line at (707) 268-2539.