A California task force led by state and local law enforcement agencies seized $123.5 million in illegal cannabis last week — the largest such operation to date, state officials announced on Tuesday.
Authorities executed nearly six dozen search warrants to nab a haul of 105,700 illicit cannabis plants and 22,057 pounds of processed marijuana, according to a news release from the governor's office. They also confiscated at least nine illegal firearms in the mass raid.
"This operation sends a clear message: California will not tolerate illicit cannabis activity that threatens public safety, the environment, and the integrity of the legal market," state Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) director Nicole Elliott said in a statement.
Marijuana is legal and regulated in California, but the state has been on an aggressive push to stamp out unauthorized grow operations and sales that officials say can fuel gangs and other international criminal organizations, while undermining the lawful industry.
The latest effort — targeted to an area roughly the size of the state of Connecticut in the agriculture-rich Central Valley — also highlighted potential health and environmental damage from the illegal operations.
Officers said they found evidence of banned or restricted pesticides at eight of the sites targeted.
"Let this be a reminder to all who grow cannabis illegally: we won’t tolerate the undermining of our legal industry and impacts to our environment," Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said in a statement.
Newsom created the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force in 2022 to coordinate efforts by state, local and federal agencies. The task force seized about $534 million worth of illegal cannabis in 2024.
The governor's office said in its news release that the latest effort will "significantly disrupt the illicit cannabis market."
It's unknown how many people will face charges from the raids. Law enforcement agencies are working with local district attorneys offices to determine charges and pursue prosecutions, according to the governor's office.