California Seizes More Than 63,000 Pounds Of Illegal Cannabis Worth $104 Million In 3-Month Crackdown

California authorities seized more than 63,000 pounds of illegal cannabis, eradicated nearly 90,000 cannabis plants, confiscated 17 firearms and made 24 arrests during a three-month enforcement push targeting illicit cannabis operations tied to organized crime, environmental damage and public safety threats, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced.

The enforcement actions, conducted between April and June 2026 by California’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force and state and local partners, resulted in the destruction of 63,204 pounds of illegal cannabis valued at more than $104 million. Authorities also seized $220,923 in cash during operations spanning 10 counties.

Since Newsom established the task force in 2022, California has seized and destroyed more than 841,000 pounds of illicit cannabis valued at more than $1.3 billion, according to the governor’s office.

“Disrupting the illegal cannabis market is about more than seizing unlicensed products — it’s about taking on criminal networks, removing illegal firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals, and stopping activity that threatens public safety,” Newsom said in a statement. “Through strong multiagency collaboration, California is making clear: if you threaten our communities, we will act.”

The coordinated operations focused on illegal cultivation and distribution linked to environmental damage, illegal firearms, hazardous pesticides, labor exploitation and organized criminal activity.

The largest enforcement action took place between May 14 and June 3 in the southern Central Valley and northern Antelope Valley. Led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the operation served 26 search warrants at illicit cannabis sites across Tulare, Kern and Los Angeles counties.

Investigators found numerous environmental violations, including 13 cultivation sites where banned, unregistered or foreign-labeled pesticides were found or suspected. Officers eradicated nearly 24,000 cannabis plants, destroyed nearly 3,700 pounds of processed cannabis, documented Fish and Game Code violations, seized cash and arrested or cited multiple people.

“Illicit cannabis cultivation continues to pose threats to the environment and public safety that we take very seriously,” CDFW Director Meghan Hertel said. “UCETF partners found a wide range of violations and concerns during their operations this spring — among them, restricted pesticides that we frequently see at grow sites associated with organized criminal enterprises.”

Hertel said the toxic chemicals threaten fish, wildlife, habitat and consumers who could unknowingly buy illegally grown cannabis that has not been tested for safety.

Other operations uncovered signs of organized criminal activity and environmental crimes in Riverside, Los Angeles, Butte and Ventura counties. In Riverside County, authorities dismantled an illegal indoor cultivation operation and seized about 1,395 pounds of illicit cannabis products and 2,415 cannabis plants valued at $2.3 million. Local officials also red-tagged the structure because of hazardous environmental conditions.

In Los Angeles County, officers served 12 search warrants, eradicated more than 7,000 cannabis plants, recovered processed cannabis and suspected methamphetamine, and found the highly toxic pesticide methamidophos at two cultivation sites.

In Butte County, officers seized nearly 13,500 cannabis plants, two firearms and evidence of organized criminal activity while documenting environmental violations. Two arrests were made.

In Ventura County, officers executed search warrants at nine locations after a monthslong investigation, recovering nearly 6,000 cannabis plants, processed cannabis, illegal drugs, 17 firearms, including an assault weapon, and more than $205,000 in cash. Fourteen people were arrested.