California Governor Newsom’s Office announced on July 16th a collaborative law enforcement operation across departments in California that led to the discovery of over ten thousand pounds of illegal marijuana plants, ghost guns, and assault weapons at five grow sites near two state parks.
In the Angeles National Forest within Los Angeles County, specifically at the Saddleback Butte State Park, authorities uncovered three grow sites, removing over 3,600 plants totaling approximately 9,600 pounds of marijuana plants. They also seized eight firearms, including two ghost guns (homemade firearms without serial numbers) and two assault weapons. According to federal and state law definitions, assault weapons primarily refer to semi-automatic rifles, handguns, and shotguns with detachable magazines and one or more additional features.
In Tulare County at the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park, law enforcement found two grow sites, destroying over 1,570 plants totaling about 3,757 pounds of marijuana plants. They confiscated six guns, including one illegal ghost gun.
The operation was a joint effort led by the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the UCETF Marijuana Enforcement Task Force established by the Governor. The task force includes personnel from the Bureau of Cannabis Control, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, California Department of Justice, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California State Parks, Bureau of Land Management, California National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, among others.
Since January of this year, UCETF has seized illegal marijuana products worth over $120 million, including nearly 73,300 pounds of illegal marijuana, and discovered over 122,900 marijuana plants during eradication operations.
Governor Newsom stated, “We support the legal cannabis market, as illegal activity threatens communities, the environment, and California’s growing legal and safe cannabis industry.” This industry generates billions of dollars in tax revenue for California, and the state will continue to support legitimate businesses while combating criminal activities that disrupt its success.
The news release mentioned that the state government is actively combating organized crime groups involved in the illegal marijuana market, as their activities not only pose a threat to the legal market but also damage California’s environment and water quality through the use of illegal pesticides and unregulated cultivation, which may also involve worker exploitation or human trafficking.
Director of the Bureau of Cannabis Control, Nicole Elliott, emphasized the crucial role of UCETF’s strategic and collaborative approach in maintaining the integrity of California’s cannabis industry. The recent actions led by state parks underscore the commitment to protecting the environment and supporting California’s cannabis industry.
Armando Quintero, Director of California State Parks, highlighted that the state park system, as the largest in the U.S., is responsible for safeguarding California’s most valuable natural and cultural resources. The primary mission of law enforcement teams is to prevent environmental damage caused by illegal marijuana cultivation within parks and adjacent private lands, which is a key component in the overall strategy to protect parks and local communities for future generations.
In 2016, California voters approved Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which made California the largest marijuana market in the U.S. with the highest cultivation rate. Possession, cultivation, and sales of marijuana for adults became legal, and the state established the regulatory agency, Bureau of Cannabis Control (formerly known as the Medical Cannabis Regulation Bureau), while also taxing marijuana products. Tax revenue funds management, drug research, enforcement, and supports state parks and the Department of Fish and Wildlife to prevent and mitigate environmental pollution.
Starting in 2019, the State Parks launched the Cannabis Watershed Protection Plan (CWPP) with support from marijuana tax funds. Certain rugged or remote areas within state parks have been used for illegal marijuana cultivation, with grow sites possibly occupied for several years, leading to severe environmental damage from toxic chemicals (including banned herbicides and pesticides) and invasive species impacting local flora, wildlife, and bird habitats.