Six members of what federal prosecutors Wednesday described as a sophisticated stick-up crew equipped with spy gadgets and burglary tools tried to rob an illegal marijuana farm during a caper that ended in bloodshed, according to court records.
The attempted robbery gone wrong in the nation’s top marijuana market is detailed in a federal criminal complaint that describes a bullet-riddled barn, a shooting and crooks dressed in camo and carrying high-tech gear, including a two-way radio, a hand-held surveillance camera, a device that disables cell phones and prybars.
The criminal case provides a detailed backstory to a failed robbery July 16 at a rural property in Coleman, a city of about 1,200 people 19 miles northwest of Midland.
Those charged Wednesday are: Addiel Torres, 49; Yoany Alvarez-Antuna, 40; Yuan Biart-Gonzalez, 39; Andy Gomez-Niebla, 38; Robert Padron Alvarez, 45; and Jorge Garcia-Santiago. Hometowns for the six people, and Garcia-Santiago’s age were not immediately available Wednesday.
There were no defense lawyers identified in federal court records.
Each man faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted of attempted interference with commerce by robbery. The six are also facing charges in state court related to the attempted robbery.
The case focuses on an investigation involving members of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives task force.
ATF investigators responded July 16 to a shooting at a rural home and pole barn in the 3000 block of W. Shaffer Road in Coleman. A Midland County Sheriff’s Office investigator said Torres had been shot by the homeowner during an attempted robbery and was recovering at an area hospital.
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