$10 million of marijuana found growing in Missouri field

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GALLATIN, Mo. (AP) _ Federal prosecutors say two men are facing federal charges after nearly 2,500 marijuana plants valued at $10 million were discovered growing in rural northwest Missouri.

The men, 44-year-old Sergio Medina-Perez and 27-year-old Miguel Pulido-Maldonado, were charged Wednesday with manufacturing or distributing more than 1,000 marijuana plants.

Local and federal law enforcement agents raided the operation in Daviess County, northeast of Kansas City, in late August. The plants were in a clearing inside a large stand of timber.

The owners of three tracts that comprised the property live in California.

Prosecutors say both men are Mexican citizens who lived in California before moving to Missouri. They have both been held on immigration detainers since their arrest.

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