Statewide Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce Conducts Massive Central Valley Operation on Outdoor Grow Sites and Nets Over $42 Million of Illegal Cannabis
Caught in the web. [Photo provided by CDFW]
Continuing its strong first quarter momentum, the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF), conducted a highly coordinated operation in Kern, Tulare and Kings counties on May 11 and 12. The extensive multiagency operation served 51 search warrants on 52 illicit cannabis cultivation sites, resulting in over 50,000 illicit cannabis plants being eradicated and over 1,300 pounds of processed cannabis destroyed.
The estimated cash value of the illegal cannabis is over $42 million. Along with this large seizure, officers located six sites with banned pesticides/chemicals that illegal growers were using on their cannabis crops. Thirteen firearms were also seized along with 125 grams of cocaine.
Personnel from 13 different state and local agencies, including 130 officers, participated in the operation, which had been coordinated for many preceding weeks.
“The support, dedication and hard work of this multiagency taskforce speaks volumes to the success of this operation, which prevented a huge amount of illicit cannabis from entering the supply chain,” said David Bess, Chief of Enforcement for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). “This is disruption at its finest. These communities can sleep better knowing these illicit operations have been shut down.”
Several criminal charges will be filed with the Superior Courts for various crimes related to illegal cultivation of cannabis, felon in possession of a firearm and environmental crimes, which ranged from use of banned pesticides to allowing pollutants to enter ground aquifers.
Participating agencies included: CDFW, Department of Cannabis Control (DCC), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Department of Toxic Substances Control, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, California State Water Resources Control Board, Kern County Sheriff’s Department, Kern County Probation Department, Tulare Sheriff’s Department and the National Guard Counter Drug Operations.
Between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2023, UCETF seized 31,912 pounds of cannabis and other cannabis products that had an estimated retail value of $52,644,020. In addition, 52,529 cannabis plants were destroyed, $95,646 in cash was confiscated and four firearms were seized. Read more about the Q1 results.
Created in 2022, UCETF has been charged by Governor Newsom to better align state efforts and increase cannabis enforcement coordination among state, local and federal partners. The taskforce is co-chaired by the DCC and CDFW and coordinated by the Homeland Security Division of Cal OES. The taskforce includes more than two dozen local, state and federal partners working together to disrupt the illegal cannabis market.
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Book em Danno…
Sounds like a small bust…
What an waist of resources. Both in man power an nature. Is not their better things that can be done with are time an energy.
Exactly.
They seem proud of destroying so many valuable plants.
There are so many needy people who need this product for a multitude of illnesses.
Instead of destroying these plants, I wish they would donate them to those with medical needs.
(It would not be that hard to do. The State has Compassionate Use Forms on file with the names of those in need.)
That’s alot of spider mites
They busted a trashed crop
That’s all I could see
I’d say…
A thousand thousand is a million. 1,300 lbs is 1.3 million at a thousand a pound. Where does 42million come from? How do they value an immature plant?
If you break it down to 10$ dime bags (grams) its 5,902,000$.
Sure sounds good tho! Don’t it?
Excellent questions all but No One seems to have an answer!!!
A thousand a pound is pretty generous these days. Go Newsom go! I hate to say I told you so but this governor is NOT good . His priorities serve HIS interests
Yeah sure that’s nice but Oregon is blowing up even more massive grows so don’t expect the market to change…We are seeing CAMP II begin it’s program that is also destined to fail but it will spend lots of money in the process…while the mega-grows in Oregon applaud these actions
Shrug. It’s just job security for the cops. 130 officers got paid to go on a field trip. CDFW is the new CAMP. They couldn’t stamp it out before when the plant count was a fraction of what it is now. If they are serious about wiping out illegal weed, decriminalize completely and watch the price go down to nothing. Until then it will be cat & mouse like it’s always been.
OMG
TAKE IT.
LOOK AT THE SPIDER WEBS.8
Well at least it looks like they weren’t spraying the avid/forbid/whatever on that crop. Organic! (w/extra mites)
Growing Spider Mite Herb, they absolutely deserve punishment, lol.
The hotter and warmer the region the more likely we see spider mites and white flies and fertilizer burn. The central valley wont be growing the like of Humboldts finest any time soon.
With all the illegals invading our state all the fentynal deaths,this is what they pat themselves on the back for,and shouldn’t the national guard they be protecting our boarders instead of going after pot growers what a loke
The national guard protecting our border is the same line of thinking that thought CAMP was going to eradicate the pot grows. All it did was terrorize people and raise the stakes/ prices.
Maybe we create a market for these folks to arrive at and we would see a different result. They dont want to kill the goose though. Border politics are a money maker. Jobs and money are hard at work. The border patrol wants the border closed like a grower wants legalization. Keep it illegal. Its where the current flow of cash comes from.
And Perdue would have to pay payroll taxes on legal workers. Oh jesus.. The chicken breast would be $12/ a piece. No one wants to pay $18 for a chicken and coleslaw sandwich.
You have got to be kidding. My neighbor was a grow house for years. Cops WERE his customers. And they pull this 💩?!? Omg. What a waste of resources. This is ridiculous. Unacceptable and ridiculous. e-bike gangs injuring people. Dangerous people on the roads… but ooh yeah… some plants 🌱 in a field are worth all this effort. Good grief
The thing that is not trally good some other ‘other’ drugs are enabling or causing more homelessness which is weighing down our communities like my town suddenly since after 2020 we got more and more homeless still now coming into the town on the edge of the Mojave desert . It’s sort of trashing the town more which is bad with originally about 27,000 people in all . This issue increases monthly or mostly every 5 months if not less . Bigger city towns allow them pushed out here . The drugs can make them fit to be homeless more . Then it’s sad they physically harm each other among them . This then causes crimes to come in more .
The cannabis mess is bad to me since I see how it makes certain kind of life in communities too laid back and basically slow and lazy minded ..as I see it on my small town that’s rural that just 6 years ago didn’t have such issues .