Federal prosecutors say three men have pleaded guilty to drug charges for their roles in a massive marijuana growing operation uncovered in northern Wisconsin.
The three Mexican citizens pleaded guilty recently in U.S. District Court in Madison to charges of conspiring to manufacture marijuana. Each now faces a federal prison sentence of at least ten years.
The men were among six arrested earlier this year after the discovery of a massive growing operation in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Over 200 federal, state, and local officials found more than 9,000 marijuana plants during a raid at a site near Clam Lake.
Authorities learned about the grow site from hunters, who found it and reported it to police in November of 2010.
Similar pleas are expected later this week from two more men from Mexico and another from St. Paul, Minnesota.