Mendocino County sheriff's deputies flying over the wild area west of Arnold located a large sized marijuana grow on a remote area of Hawthorne Campbell Timber property. The discovery led to the arrest of a man from Michoacan, Mexico and the eradication more than 15,000 seedlings on May 12.

Members of the County of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team and agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency then hiked into the remote area north of Sherwood Summit to the gardens and seedling beds. When they arrived, they found several garden sites with 15,020 marijuana plants from 2 to 6 inches high growing in them. Officers discovered Felicinao Sota, 46, a Mexican national, at a nearby campsite. When questioned, Sota told officers there were two others assisting at the grow, but they could not be found. Sota was arrested on suspicion of cultivation and possession of marijuana for sale and remains in Mendocino County jail.