Seven Search Warrants Served in Del Norte County Yield 750 Illegal Marijuana Plants, 180 Pounds of Processed Pot, and 25 lbs of Honey Oil
On Sept. 10, 2021, wildlife officers with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) served seven search warrants in Del Norte County. The search warrants were part of an investigation into unlawful commercial cannabis cultivation and associated environmental crimes.
All the properties that were subject to search warrant services were in the Smith River watershed. The Smith River is the last major undammed river in California and supports several threatened and endangered species. In addition, California is currently experiencing a historic drought, and some unlawful cannabis cultivation operations have been shown to divert a significant amount of water from nearby waterways.
Support was provided by a CDFW Environmental Scientist, Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office and Del Norte County Code Enforcement.Prior to serving the search warrants, a records check was conducted on the properties to determine what steps may have been taken to secure a state cannabis license. In these cases, no state license or county permit to cultivate commercial cannabis had been issued.
Numerous environmental violations were documented. Four of the properties were diverting surface water to irrigate cannabis. Other violations included streambed alterations (e.g., stream crossings and on-stream pond) and water pollution (e.g., trash and sediment) associated with cannabis cultivation activities.
Over 750 illegal cannabis plants were eradicated and over 180 lbs. of illegal processed cannabis was destroyed. There was also 25 lbs. of honey oil seized.
No subjects were arrested and formal complaints will be filed with the Del Norte County District Attorney’s office. No other information is available at this time.
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Bad growers, give good growers, a bad name.
Well mom and pop you did it now. Can’t believe they use are limited water supply for this. They should half known better. But I guess with covid this is the only way they can survive. Since that is the case I guess it is forgivable. But still maybe save some for a rainy day next time. At least now the pd will have some extra cash for the deputies to keep the rest of us safe from mega grows. Glad no one was hurt during this operation. You never no what you will wake up to when you open you’re door. DGS
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Have
No names, no charges. Not actually a deterrent.
More like an advertisement… “And you too can come to Del Norte County and get away with no penalties”. But of course just a few more miles away Oregon is even looser, cheaper and never never even slows you down…
Might wanna double check that…
Haven’t heard about the huge fed op up in Josephine eh?
Nobody I know has been touched. And they are huge, obvious, reckless…
Good to hear. Yes it is a shitshow up there. I know people pulling lots of water out of the Rogue River to feed their many many greenhouses full of “hemp”. Not good people. People who started here and went there to really blow it up….
Just because you don’t know the people growing the strains that meet the fed dea definition (<.3% thc) of hemp does not mean they aren't there.
A good bit less presumtion will allow edification of facts that're clearly outside your scope of knowledge.
They are part of a completely different and not too parallel of a market.
It is nationwide and has been for many years now.
Would love to see a news link if you got one! Not doubting you…
Okay you talking this? Two properties. Only two. That’s like saying a bust in Salmon Creek took down all of Humboldt. And they had to KILL somebody up there to get attention! 200 hoop houses alone was not enough!…https://www.kdrv.com/content/news/Law-enforcement-investigating-Illinois-Valley-marijuana-grow-involving-involuntary-servitude-575115951.html
That would seem to be part of it.
Over 200k plants…1 bust…nuts.
Whether that scene is cartel or not, the cartel is deeply entrenched there and many locals initially welcomed them & the $, but they’re now stuck for fear of their lives.
Surprise surprise.
According to friends/witnesses, there are over 220 non-undercover fed agents who have posted up in the area….still there as of 2days ago.
“Appears”, up to this point, that other grows are being investigated too.
It may be technically legal here & in OR but over 99 is still Fed jurisdiction if they want it.
I doubt the county or state will complain.
Is a real mess up there. Many operating very recklessly from a legal & environmental standpoint.
As bad as many things are here, it pales in comparison to Josephine Co.
30yrs of $ problems for the Sheriff.
Voters denied them funding in 2012. Got some back in 2017. But is still threadbare operations.
I’ve heard of multiple people abandoning fields with hundreds of acres in Oregon because it’s not worth it to process. Might as well go walking around and grab a few boxes
750 plants on 7 properties ?? Del Norte is going huge
I still would love to hear of one permitted farm getting in trouble for selling on the black market. Just one
Lol. Right. But it’s simple. Pay fish and game. Your safe. Its gonna take a army. Everyone knows that. Move into forests make it hard for these [edit]
If you are growing outdoor or deps your selling it all on the black market. Nobody goes to the club for that. Everyone buys the indoor. That’s what people go to the club for. I mean I bet Kym can’t even tell us the name of her farm or what club we can go to to buy her farm’s weed. But I’m sure you could pick some of it up in a turkey bag on the low anywhere in Humboldt
Actually, no, you are wrong about my farm.
Adobe People is the name of my farm. We sell our product completely legally. I don’t handle the Metric so I don’t have a list of all the dispensaries, etc. but off the top of my head, Humboldt Finest and Smokeland are two sales we made that I can think of.
But you know how chickenshit I think it is for anonymous commenters to think that is cool to rely on my honesty and integrity not to delete their comments when as they know many legal farms do sell on the black market? I can’t even imagine doing what you just did. I can answer honestly, but what a crappy place to put someone in who might not be able to totally make it in the white market. That’s not the way the original growers would handle themselves. You don’t shoot crap at someone who is supplying you a platform to talk anonymously.
It is the weirdest thing….some of you who shoot crap at me, I know where you live and who your parents are, what family members have been arrested for what and some of what you are currently doing illegally….and you totally trust me not to reveal any of that…Yet, you feel comfortable taking anonymous shots at me. That is such a crappy ethos. The mom in me wants to just put you in time out to think about your behavior.
Well said, Kym. Thank you for providing the news and a place to freely comment about Humboldt county and the surrounding area with kindness, compassion, grace, & honesty. I have been a amazed by your strength of character and your ability to not lash out at some of the commenters who frequent your site. Your hard work and dedication show and are appreciated so much by many current and former Emerald Triangle residents. Stay well and safe.
Thank you for the kind words!
Yep. You’re right. I shouldn’t have done that. I stepped far out of line. I retract all former statements. Feel free to delete and/or leave there for further ridicule. I’m sorry. From the bottom of my heart. Super big dick move. Double time out is better. I will put my nose in a corner now and stand there for however long you recommend as double time out
And that is why I like you in spite of our vast political differences…Thank you.
I’m going to leave the comment thread because I think it is important on a couple of levels. But I deleted your name.
“what a crappy place to put someone in who might not be able to totally make it in the white market.” Wow. Your defense of the sell-out permit pansies knows no bounds…Now since they blow out their beautiful white market you say it’s okay that they sell out the back door and blow out the black market too? I won’t recount the history or the many ethical compromises made along the way but just say Wow this is a slippery slope you slide down. You and all the permit pansies- many who began by selling “medical cannabis” that they had sprayed with Eagle 20. Your heroes not mine
Yes, we’ve established that you are a pure white soul and I’m besmuttered with concerns for a range of people including “permit pansies” and outlaws.
How many people who went legal do you know, Farce? I know quite a few. Many…most…have small gardens and one piece of property that they are desperately trying to hold onto along with their culture. One single mom who just put her valedictorian son through college is facing losing everything she owns. Why don’t you go look her in the face and tell her she’s a permit pansy. Or why don’t you tell the elderly couple trying to supplement their social security with a legal grow and a few black market sales that they are making “ethical compromises.”
I think people who are completely outlaw growers are making ethical compromises that I completely understand. I think a waitress who trims on the side and pockets the money without paying taxes is making ethical compromises that I understand. I think allowing anonymous people to pretend to be above reproach while spewing nastiness at people who are struggling to survive on my website in the name of free speech is an ethical compromise that I’m wondering if it is justified.
Im Mike from DC. I’ve spent many Summers working with my friends on top of Low Divide. Most of this cultivation comes from diverted spring water that is moved to holding ponds. The water freely flows from the surface of the ground. This was a war on drugs and not the environment.
Maybe if, fifty or more years ago, more people had just tossed their seeds into vacant lots, along streams, or by the side of the road, after they got done cleaning their lids. Eventually the plants would have proliferated to the point that there’d be pot plants all over the place. Of course, it wouldn’t be like the stuff they got now, with cutesy designer names, that taste like chocolate chip cookies and stuff, but it would just be all over the place, and no more worth the efforts of law enforcement to eradicate than crab grass is. I myself gave up the habit nearly twenty years ago, so none of these stories that run on virtually every edition of this daily news site merit much relevance to my life either way. Except that the environmental impact that I read about gives me some cause for alarm.
I’d imagine it’s difficult to find any property in del Norte that isn’t in the smith river drainage
Just gonna drop this here. It’s what many of us already know, despite our “legalized” friends denials and objections. ” Millions of pounds of legal marijuana diverted to underground market” while the state agencies look the other way….https://mjbizdaily.com/millions-of-pounds-of-legal-marijuana-diverted-to-illicit-market-california-lawsuit-alleges/