Journal
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office made two additional arrests Wednesday in its investigation into illegal marijuana gardens in the Round Valley area.

While serving a search warrant in the 78000 block of Road 343, officers found a marijuana garden. MCSO Capt. Kurt Smallcomb said interviews with the suspects indicated the garden was being operated for profit.

Deputies arrested Raymond Howard Lawrence, 48, of Redwood Valley, and William Ralph Emery, 64, of Covelo at the scene. Lawrence was arrested on suspicion of planting and cultivating marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, possession of a controlled substance and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Emery was arrested on suspicion of planting and cultivating marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale.

Smallcomb said the two men were running the garden.

Deputies also served search warrants on a garden in the 87000 block of Road 343. Between the two gardens, deputies seized and destroyed a total of 7,500 marijuana plants.

On Tuesday, sheriff's deputies arrested Rafael Alexander Nunes, 27, and Airton Costa Junior, 41, both of Covelo, and Edgar Quinillo, 18, of San


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Rafael, on suspicion of cultivating marijuana with intent to sell and entering the United States illegally.

The three were allegedly working in illegal marijuana gardens in the 76000 block of Henderson Lane and the 22000 block of Refuse Road. Sheriff's deputies also eradicated 4,500 marijuana plants in three gardens in the area.

Smallcomb said the Sheriff's Office doesn't believe the two men arrested Wednesday are connected with the larger gardens found in Round Valley on Tuesday, where Nunes, Costa and Quinillo were arrested.

The Sheriff's Office has been working with state and federal law enforcement in this effort, and with officers from the state Campaign Against Marijuana Planting. More arrests are expected.