6,500 plants seized in illegal cannabis operation

In an effort to crack down on illicit cannabis growers and sellers, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office announced a recent successful operation in greater Tehachapi and Neenach, in northwestern Los Angeles County.

State agencies discovered 6,500 illegal cannabis plants and illicit pesticides, leading to the arrest of three people, the state announced today.

According to the Governor’s Office, the plants were estimated to be worth $5.3 million. The operation was led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in partnership with the Department of Cannabis Control and other state agencies. The agencies did not break down how many cannabis plants and how much pesticides were seized from each of the two locations.

Kevin McInearny, the DCC’s Northern California commander for the Law Enforcement Division, said the retail price estimate is based on the average price of various cannabis products determined by the California Tax and Fee Administration. McInearny said illicit prices are also monitored for cannabis products, which just undercut the legal market price.

The specific pesticides that were in use are still under investigation by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. McInearny said they are pesticides that can be extremely dangerous to those working around them or who ingest them in cannabis products.

Cannabis use is legal throughout the state. However, cannabis can’t be grown, sold, distributed or cultivated in Bakersfield and most of Kern County. It is legal to do so in California City. And in Arvin, it is legal to deliver, distribute, test, manufacture and cultivate cannabis, according to the Department of Cannabis Control.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a statement, addressed the importance of cracking down on the illicit cannabis market.

“While we watch California’s legal cannabis market grow to become the largest worldwide, we are taking down those who operate outside the law. Putting a stop to illegal cannabis operations also means stopping organized crime, human trafficking, and the spread of illegal products that harm the health of Californians and our environment,” the statement said.

McInearny said cannabis is legally sold through licensed vendors who work with other licensed distributors and manufacturers and pay the necessary taxes. All legal cannabis is tested for heavy metals and illicit pesticides.

“We want to encourage people to access legal cannabis and delivery is available by licensed delivery companies across the state so people aren’t restricted by there not being a dispensary around,” McInearny said.

At the heart of many illegal cannabis businesses is what McInearny refers to as “crimes of greed,” and the trail of money is usually what leads to these investigations, McInearny said. He said these operations are to dismantle the mid- and upper-level management in these businesses who directly benefit from illegal operations.

“Generally, every investigation gets us a little bit more information about who’s working with who. We’re always looking for the connection,” McInearny said. “There are people no matter what we’ll probably not get to. The idea is to completely dismantle their networks below that level.”

Jaydeep Bhatia, the DCC’s chief policy coordinator, said the United Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce is to support consumer safety and maintain the integrity of the legal cannabis market, which is often undercut by the illegal market. In recent efforts, the agencies have tried to tackle the core of these larger illicit cannabis operations.

“They’re really looking to go after the larger, complex organizations that are responsible for illegal activity,” Bhatia said. “This is a big problem. It’s statewide, but I will say we are organized and I think working hand-in-hand with our state partners through the task force to start identifying and taking down some of those larger groups.”