Editor’s note: This story has been updated since its initial publication.
(The Center Square) – California officials announced this week that state law enforcement seized $56.5 million of illegally-grown marijuana plants in November, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.
State agencies conducted three raids in November on illegal cannabis farms. That resulted in the confiscation of 58,358 plants. Each raid targeted large illegal cultivation sites in Los Angeles and Alameda counties. All the sites that were targeted pose environmental risks to the natural landscape and nearby neighborhoods, officials told The Center Square on Thursday.
One raid was conducted by the Department of Cannabis Control, and the other two were conducted by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“When we see these illicit cannabis sites happen at this scale, there are often illegal water diversions contaminating and polluting waterways or stream beds,” Sarah Sol, public information officer for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told The Center Square on Thursday. “There could be light pollution, there could be noise pollution, and when they clear-cut land, they could spread invasive species. There’s a wide variety of environmental impacts.”
Law enforcement officers with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which assisted with the raids, confiscated illegally-grown plants from unlicensed cultivation sites in the two counties. Approximately 52 of those sites were in the Lancaster area in the northeastern part of Los Angeles County, the governor’s office said.
According to a 2024 report from the Department of Cannabis Control, about 11.4 million pounds of illicit cannabis is produced in California each year. Investments into law enforcement helps support the licensed cannabis market, which in turn raises costs for growers who insist on conducting illegal cannabis operations, the report said.
During the raids in the Lancaster area, police confiscated six firearms, eradicated 32,738 plants and destroyed 5,122 pounds of processed cannabis, the governor’s office said. Officers also arrested 12 people and confiscated 12 grams of methamphetamine, according to the governor’s office.
A separate operation in Hayward resulted in officers eradicating 6,157 cannabis plants and seizing more than 193 pounds of processed cannabis. A Harbor City raid also saw the destruction or seized $16.5 million in illegal cannabis, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
“Illegal cannabis operations, particularly those embedded in residential neighborhoods, pose unacceptable risks to California families,” Nicole Elliott, director of the California Department of Cannabis Control, said. “Whether the issue is fire hazards, toxic pesticides, or criminal networks exploiting our communities, UCETF [Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force] partners remain committed to protecting the public and holding bad actors accountable.”
The November raid comes on the heels of operations conducted by law enforcement officials in October that saw a record number of fentanyl pills seized, according to previous reporting by The Center Square. Approximately 1.2 million fentanyl pills were seized by California National Guard troops in October, bringing the number of fentanyl pills seized this year to more than 3 million pills, or more than 5,174 pounds, according to the California National Guard.
The governor’s office and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration deferred The Center Square’s questions to the Department of Cannabis Control. That department did not respond to The Center Square before press time on Thursday.
Other state and local government agencies involved in the investigation and subsequent raids at illegal grow sites were not immediately available on Thursday.
