By SDCN Editor
A recent enforcement operation, led by the California Department of Cannabis Control, seized and destroyed more than $2.3 million in illegally cultivated cannabis, including 2,652 plants in a single operation in Northern California.
The California Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force action, led by Cannabis Control and with the assistance of multiple state and local law enforcement partners, occurred in the Coliseum neighborhood of Oakland.
The Alameda County operation also led to the confiscation of multiple bags of dangerous illegal pesticides that were used in the unlawful grow.
The pesticide was identified by the Alameda County Agricultural Commission as containing isoprocarb, an unregistered pesticide that is toxic if inhaled or swallowed. Authorities also discovered other potentially harmful substances, including unidentified liquids and additional illegal pesticides, including one labeled “Golden Eagle.”
The cannabis plants were cultivated in an industrial building along with several containers of harmful pesticides. One person was arrested for the unlicensed cultivation of cannabis, unlicensed possession of cannabis for sale, maintaining a drug house, and possession of an unregistered pesticide.
“Illegal cannabis from outside the safe, regulated market poses serious health risks and fuels criminal organizations responsible for devastating environmental damage. I thank our state and local enforcement agencies for their collaboration in taking down this illegal enterprise, protecting both public safety and the environment from the harmful impacts of the illicit cannabis market,” Governor Gavin Newsom said.
“This operation clearly demonstrates our commitment to protecting consumer safety and holding those who threaten it accountable,” said Department of Cannabis Control Chief of Law Enforcement, Bill Jones. “We are grateful for our state and local partners, including the Department of Pesticide Regulation and Alameda County Agricultural Commission. Their invaluable insight and expertise, combined with the shared goal to combat illegal activities were instrumental in the success of the operation.”
The UCETF task force partners include the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, Alameda County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, and Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department.
Governor Newsom has directed state agencies to target the organized criminal enterprises involved in the illicit cannabis market. These illegal schemes not only threaten California’s legal cannabis market, but the use of illicit pesticides and unregulated practices harm the state’s environment and water quality. The state is also focused on ending the exploitation of vulnerable workers at these sites, who are often victims of labor violations and human trafficking.
In 2022, the governor created the UCETF to align state efforts further and increase cannabis enforcement coordination between state, local, and federal partners. The enforcement actions protect consumer and public safety, safeguard the environment, and deprive illegal cannabis operators and transnational criminal organizations of illicit revenue that harms consumers and undercuts the regulated cannabis market in California.
Since its inception, UCETF has seized over $465 million in unlicensed cannabis by serving 309 search warrants. The task force has also eradicated 470,435 illegal cannabis plants, seized 150 illegal firearms, and arrested 38 individuals.