A federal grand jury in Sacramento indicted 13 people on Thursday accused of belonging to a West Coast drug organization, authorities said.

About $5 million to $6 million worth of marijuana and $60,000 to $70,000 worth of methamphetamine were seized when the men were arrested July 30, officials said.

Authorities said the suspects are illegal Mexican immigrants who grew the plants on federal and state lands.

A four-month investigation has resulted in the seizure of an estimated $5.6 million in marijuana and the dismantling of a major organization also involved in sales of methamphetamine and cocaine, state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement officials announced Thursday.

State and local officers swooped down on multiple locations Wednesday in El Dorado, Placer, Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Sacramento counties, making 21 arrests. In addition to the marijuana, agents seized about 3 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, confiscated about $10,000 in cash and took firearms from suspects during several arrests, officials said.

A tip from a resident led to the arrest of Kayla Beth Woodall on suspicion of cultivating more than 100 marijuana plants in her Sacramento home, police said.

Pursuing the tip, officers visited Woodall's home on the 2200 block of E Street shortly after 10 p.m. July 15, said Sgt. Matt Young, a police spokesman.

"We had received information that marijuana was being cultivated in the home, and the tip proved to be accurate," he said.

SACRAMENTO – Yet again Tuesday, a purveyor of marijuana was sent to federal prison after claiming he thought he was within the law because of California's Compassionate Use Act.

Just before being led out of a Sacramento courtroom in handcuffs, Richard James Marino told a judge, "I'm a victim of a law that is backward and unfair."

He was referring to the federal Controlled Substances Act, which outlaws marijuana for any purpose.

Re "As fires rage, the law protects us from marijuana," July 1: Peter Schrag's commentary on marijuana is short-sighted on many levels. For example, he suggests that law-enforcement agencies disregard large-scale marijuana cultivation because he doesn't perceive the imminent danger to our communities. Unfortunately, Mr. Schrag hasn't followed the news for the past two years.

Almost anybody who's lived in California for even a few years knows from where that acrid smell in the air and the yellow haze in the sky have been coming. And we know the scary feeling that comes with them. The only exceptions are the narcs, state and federal, who think it's marijuana smoke.

As California's wildfires overwhelm the resources to fight them, federal and state agents – hundreds of them – have been sweeping through Humboldt County and a sliver of Mendocino County in pursuit of commercial pot growers.

The price of the two-story, 3,800-square-foot house for sale on Aspen Grove Lane in Elk Grove stands out even in a down market.

The five-bedroom, three-bath home in a gated community is listed at $387,000 "as-is" or $437,000 with repairs.

The low price – and the need for repairs – stems from the house's use as an indoor marijuana farm. Last fall, police hauled out 865 plants.

A Napa County couple was sentenced in Sacramento federal court Friday to prison time for operating what is considered a commercial indoor marijuana growing and distributing operation.

Daren Glosser, 33, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and his wife Shannon Selle, 30, was sentenced to just under four years in prison by U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Federal agents seized up to $60 million worth of marijuana during a raid at farms in Humboldt and Mendocino counties, officials said Wednesday.

Hundreds of officers took part in serving up 29 search warrants Tuesday, ending a two year investigation into large marijuana growing operations.

A bill protecting medical marijuana patients is making its way through the California legislature.

Assembly Bill 2279 would make it illegal for employers to discriminate against medical marijuana patients. It would allow patients to bring lawsuits against employers who have fired or not hired them because of their status as medical marijuana patients.