5 charged in connection with underground pot farm in Newberry Springs enter pleas

Almost half of a group of 11 people charged in connection with a massive, underground marijuana facility in the High Desert have entered plea agreements while others have active warrants for their arrests, court records show,

San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson revealed the charges for the group last month after the 14,000-square-foot subterranean warehouse was discovered by sheriff’s deputies in Newberry Springs earlier this year.

One of those charged was 30-year-old Cheng Lin who sold the property to Qiaoyan Liu, 35, in November 2020 “but continued to intend to facilitate cultviation of marijuana on the property” and allowed the underground structure to be built, according to the DA’s complaint.

Both defendants faced a felony charge for conspiracy to commit a crime in addition to other alleged crimes.

Lin pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain on June 7 to two counts of illegal marijuana cultivation with a concurrent violation of environmental law and two counts of possession of marijuana for sale.

A judge sentenced Lin to 24 months probation and 240 days in county jail where Lin will be eligible for work release and weekends. A restitution hearing is scheduled on Sept. 20.

Liu pleaded guilty on May 27 to illegal marijuana cultivation with a concurrent violation of environmental law and one count of possession of marijuana for sale. A judge sentenced Liu to serve 180 days in county jail and 24 months of probation.

Both defendants had their conspiracy charges dismissed as part of their pleas.

Here are the others who pleaded:

• Zhonggui He, 60: guilty to two counts of illegal marijuana cultivation with concurrent violation of environmental law, possession of marijuana for sale. Sentence: 24 months probation, 100 days in county jail.
• Wu Lin, 33: guilty to illegal marijuana cultivation with concurrent violation of environmental law, possession of marijuana for sale. Sentence: 24 months probation, 180 days in county jail.
• Mingfeng He, 37: no contest to illegal marijuana cultivation, possession of marijuana for sale. Sentence: 12 months probation, 45 days in county jail (was given credit for 23 days time served).

The other six defendants — Weijian Liu, Aiqing Lin, Wenren He, Lijie Lin, Bin Li and Huang Lin — did not show up for their court hearings in May and warrants were issued, according to records.

A search of booking records showed none were in sheriff’s custody as of Wednesday evening.

Deputies discovered the marijuana bunker on March 3 after serving a search warrant at the Newberry Springs property.

Authorities said law enforcement found the underground facility — built from 30 Conex boxes — to contain more than 6,000 marijuana plants with a black-market value of up to $9 million.

Daily Press reporter Martin Estacio may be reached at 760-955-5358 or MEstacio@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_mestacio.