Suspects Arrested in Six California Desert Murders Linked to Marijuana Trade

By Steve Gorman and Daniel Trotta

LOS ANGELES – Five men have been apprehended on suspicion of murdering six individuals last week in a secluded area of California’s Mojave Desert. Local law enforcement officials believe the mass killing is linked to the illegal marijuana trade.

The six male victims were found shot to death, with four of them also exhibiting signs of being partially burned. Their bodies were discovered scattered at a grim crime scene located at the intersection of two dirt roads, approximately 60 miles northeast of Los Angeles, authorities reported.

Investigators indicated that the victims might have been involved in unlawful activities that led to their deaths.

"It appears that illegal marijuana was the primary motivation behind these murders," Sheriff Shannon Dicus stated during a news briefing in San Bernardino.

According to the sheriff’s office, the victims had arranged to meet at the site for a marijuana transaction when the suspects arrived and, for reasons still under investigation, opened fire on them.

Sheriff Dicus noted that criminal gangs and violence continue to plague the cannabis trade, despite California voters legalizing marijuana sales and cultivation for recreational use in 2016. This legislative change reduced the penalties for illegal marijuana activities from felonies to misdemeanors.

"By permitting this, we’ve unleashed a plague on California, particularly the black market for marijuana, along with an increase in cartel activity and numerous victims," he said.

In the previous year, Dicus reported that his department executed over 400 search warrants for illegal marijuana growing operations, including 11 locations in the vicinity of where the six bodies were discovered.

Law enforcement officials responded to a 911 call from a man speaking Spanish who reported being shot and was unaware of his location. That individual, identified as 22-year-old Franklin Noel Bonilla, was later found among the deceased at the murder scene. Two other victims were also identified as 34-year-old Baldemar Mondragon-Albarran and 25-year-old Kevin Dariel Bonilla.

Aerial footage from the scene depicted the victims’ bloodied bodies surrounded by numerous evidence markers and bullet casings. Some victims are believed to be of Honduran descent, according to officials.

The five arrested men are considered the sole suspects in this case. They were taken into custody at an illegal cannabis cultivation site that was in the process of being developed and are being held without bail on murder charges. They have been identified as Toniel Baez-Duarte, 34, Mateo Baez-Duarte, 24, Jose Nicolas Hernandez-Sarabia, 33, Jose Gregorio Hernandez-Sarabia, 34, and Jose Manuel Burgos Parra, 26. All are residents of the area.