Three Cuban nationals have been sentenced to federal prison for trying to rob a Midland County marijuana grow operation in 2023. As a result, they could face deportation to their home country once they’ve served their time.
U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington on Thursday, June 5, sentenced Addier Meija-Torres, 50, and Andy Gomez-Niebla, 39, to 46 months in prison. The judge sentenced Yoany Alvarez-Antuna, 42, to 40 months.
The trio earlier this year pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, as did two additional codefendants, Roberto Padron-Alvarez, 45, and Yuan Biart-Gonzalez, 39. A sixth codefendant, 40-year-old Jorge Garcia-Santiago (also known by the surname Acosta), remains charged.
The charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison followed by up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
The sextet in the early morning of July 16, 2023, visited a house in the 3200 block of West Shaffer Road in Warren Township, east of Coleman. They were outfitted with guns, burglary tools, masks, and camouflaged clothing, their plea agreements state.
A father and son residing in the house noticed their security cameras were activated by motion. They went outside to investigate and came upon the six men, leading to an altercation.
Meija-Torres allegedly held a gun and tackled the elder resident. This resident wrangled the gun free then shot Meija-Torres with it.
The wounded Meija-Torres was still on scene when Midland County Sheriff’s deputies arrived and was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
Behind the house was a large pole barn, and between the two buildings police found 30 to 40 marijuana plants, court records show. The barn itself was locked and bore several apparent gunshots to its exterior. The Michigan State Police Marijuana and Tobacco Investigation Section also responded and, with a search warrant, officers entered the barn.
Inside, they found 227 marijuana plants, 137 pounds of marijuana flower, and 10 pounds of marijuana plant material. No one at the residence had valid credentials to grow the pot, court records state.
An MSP K-9 located Alvarez-Antuna and Biart-Gonzalez about a half-mile from the scene. They were wearing camouflage coats and gloves and had a two-way radio with them, court reports state.
A K-9 also located Gomez-Niebla and Padron-Alvarez about three miles west. Police located and arrested the sixth suspect, Garcia-Santiago, at a McDonald’s in neighboring Gladwin County.
Police also recovered several backpacks at the intersection of Shaffer and Magruder roads. The backpacks contained multiple prybars, a ski mask, a handheld cellphone jammer, numerous hand tools, work gloves, a snake camera, water bottles, and an inhaler, the agent wrote.
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