Albuquerque, NM – A New Mexico man has pleaded guilty to 15 federal counts related to a large-scale illegal marijuana grow operation, the Department of Justice announced today. Phillip Benally faces a minimum of 15 years in prison adn up to life.
The inquiry, spanning several years, revealed Benally orchestrated a refined operation that included over 1,100 greenhouses constructed on Navajo Nation land, utilizing both local Navajo Nation workers and Chinese foreign laborers, some of whom were undocumented.
Initially licensed by the state to grow marijuana, Benally’s license was revoked in December 2023 following multiple violations, accompanied by a $1 million fine. Despite the revocation, Benally continued the operation, allegedly tampering with a utility meter to steal electricity.
Law enforcement raided two marijuana farms near Estancia linked to Benally, confiscating more than 8,500 pounds of marijuana, $35,000 in cash, illegal pesticides, methamphetamine, firearms, and a bulletproof vest.Additionally, Benally was accused of illegally constructing a sandbag dam on the San juan River, filling in a river channel with sand, rocks, and agricultural waste – a violation of the Clean Water Act. over 26,000 marijuana plants and 60,000 pounds of processed marijuana were seized as part of the investigation.