State seizes illegal cannabis; Riverside grow raided

Governor Gavin Newsom said on July 8 that California’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force seized more than 63,000 pounds of illegal cannabis in operations carried out from April through June. State and local partners also eradicated nearly 90,000 cannabis plants, confiscated 17 firearms, seized $220,923 in cash and made 24 arrests across 10 counties, according to the governor’s office. The announcement placed a Riverside County indoor cultivation site inside a broader statewide enforcement push that California says is aimed at unlicensed grows, distribution networks and other illicit cannabis activity. Since the task force was created in 2022, California says it has seized and destroyed more than 841,000 pounds of illicit cannabis valued at more than $1.3 billion. ### Which Riverside County raid was included in the state’s latest tally? Riverside County was cited by the governor’s office as the site of an illegal indoor cultivation operation that state and local partners dismantled during the April-to-June period. Authorities said they seized about 1,395 pounds of illicit cannabis products and 2,415 cannabis plants there, with an estimated retail value of $2.3 million. (gov.ca.gov) The July 8 release did not identify the exact city in Riverside County, name any suspects or say whether criminal charges had been filed in that case. The state described the site as part of coordinated enforcement operations led through UCETF, a multiagency task force co-chaired by the Department of Cannabis Control, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. (gov.ca.gov) ### How broad was the statewide operation from April through June? California said the April-through-June operations destroyed 63,204 pounds of illegal cannabis worth more than $104 million and eradicated 89,257 plants. The same three-month period produced 24 arrests and the seizure of 17 firearms, according to the governor’s office. (gov.ca.gov) The largest single enforcement action in that stretch ran from May 14 through June 3 in Tulare, Kern and Los Angeles counties, the state said. That operation, led by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, served 26 search warrants at illicit cannabis sites, uncovered environmental violations at 13 cultivation sites and resulted in nearly 24,000 plants eradicated and nearly 3,700 pounds of processed cannabis destroyed. (gov.ca.gov) ### Who runs the task force behind these raids? The Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force was launched in 2022 by Newsom to coordinate enforcement among state, local and federal agencies, according to the Department of Cannabis Control. The task force brings together more than two dozen partner organizations and is co-chaired by the Department of Cannabis Control, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Cal OES. (gov.ca.gov) Department of Cannabis Control figures posted on its UCETF page show the task force had served more than 670 search warrants, covered 29 counties, seized and destroyed 380 tons of illicit cannabis and eradicated 1.2 million illegal cannabis plants in data last reviewed on Dec. 31, 2025. A separate Jan. 27 announcement from Newsom’s office said the state had surpassed $1.2 billion in illegal cannabis seizures and that 2025 alone accounted for $609 million. (cannabis.ca.gov) ### What do officials say these operations are targeting besides cannabis? The July 8 announcement said the coordinated operations focused on illegal cultivation and distribution associated with environmental damage, illegal firearms, hazardous pesticides, labor exploitation and organized criminal activity. In the southern Central Valley and northern Antelope Valley operation, investigators found banned, unregistered or foreign-labeled pesticides at 13 cultivation sites, according to the governor’s office. (cannabis.ca.gov) The Department of Cannabis Control says illicit cannabis operations can also involve tax evasion, unsafe working conditions and contamination risks for consumers. The Department of Fish and Wildlife separately says cannabis cultivation enforcement cases often include water diversion, chemical use and wildlife habitat damage. ### What comes next in California’s enforcement campaign? (gov.ca.gov) Newsom said on June 25 that California had awarded $227 million in Proposition 64 grants to local governments to support public safety, youth prevention, public health and environmental work tied to cannabis legalization. The Board of State and Community Corrections oversees those grants, which the state says are meant in part to help communities combat illicit cannabis activity and address environmental harms from illegal operations. (cannabis.ca.gov) California’s July 8 update said UCETF will continue coordinated enforcement with state, local and federal partners. The Department of Fish and Wildlife directs the public to report illegal cannabis grows on public lands through its CALTIP tip line, while the Department of Cannabis Control continues to post UCETF enforcement updates and quarterly results on its website. (gov.ca.gov) (gov.ca.gov)