Illegal Cannabis Seized In Allensworth – The Sun-Gazette Newspaper

TULARE COUNTY – As part of the state’s efforts to crack down on illegal cannabis, law enforcement swooped into an illegal operation in Allensworth, seizing thousands of plants along with a trove of illegal firearms.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced on July 16 that state law enforcement units conducted operations at state parks throughout California. The operation targeted illicit cannabis grow sites that endanger communities, the environment and California’s legal cannabis industry, resulting in the seizure of more than 5,200 illegal cannabis plants and 14 illegal firearms, including three ghost guns and two assault weapons.

Multiple state enforcement units took down criminal cannabis operations in Tulare County and another park, resulting in the eradication of thousands of pounds of illegal cannabis and seizure of illegal firearms, including ghost guns and assault weapons.

“We’re committed to supporting the legal cannabis market in California,” Newsom stated in the release. “The illicit market endangers our communities, our environment,and California’s growing legal and safer cannabis industry. California’s legal market also produces billions of dollars for our state economy, and we’ll continue to support the businesses that are engaged in this industry the right way, by taking down the criminal operations undermining their success.”

According to a press release from Newsom’s office, the Governor’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF) seized over $120 million in illegal cannabis products, including nearly 73,300 pounds of unlicensed cannabis and eradicated over 122,900 illegal plants in law enforcement crackdowns.

Officials from the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the Governor’s UCETF, supported by the Department of Justice (DOJ), carried out the operation near the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park in Allensworth. A total of 1,572 plants weighing approximately 3,757 pounds were destroyed at two different grow sites. Six firearms were also seized, including one illegal ghost gun.

They also found illegal cannabis operations in Saddleback Butte State Park in Antelope Valley where they destroyed 3,684 plants at three different grow sites, weighing approximately 9,620 pounds.

They also seized eight firearms, including two illegal ghost guns and two assault weapons.

“Preventing environmental damage caused by illegal cannabis cultivation inside park boundaries and on adjacent private property is a priority for our law enforcement team. It’s also an important component of our overall strategy for keeping parks and their local communities safe and protected for future generations. We thank our law enforcement partners who worked closely with our team to ensure a safe and successful outcome,” Armando Quintero, Director of California State Parks said via release.

Participating agencies included the Department of Cannabis Control, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, California Department of Justice, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California State Parks, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the California National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.

Newsom has directed state agencies to aggressively 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 illegal pesticides and unregulated practices harm California’s environment and water quality. California is also focused on ending the exploitation of vulnerable workers at these sites, who are often victims of labor violations and human trafficking.

“UCETF’s strategic and collaborative approach is important in maintaining the integrity of our state’s cannabis industry. The recent UCETF operation led by California State Parks underscores the taskforce’s strong commitment to protecting our environment and supporting the licensed cannabis industry in California,” Nicole Elliott, Director of the Department of Cannabis Control stated via press release.

To learn more about the legal California cannabis market, state licenses, and laws, visit cannabis.ca.gov.