
Illegal weed seized and red tagged house in Antioch on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. Top photos by CA Dept of Cannabis Control. Bottom photo by Antioch resident who chose to remain anonymous.
By Moorea Warren, Information Officer, California Department of Cannabis Control
Thanks to the continued dedication and collaboration of the Governor’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF) 20 East Bay illegal indoor cannabis cultivators were shut down on June 20, and a total estimated value of over $15.3 million of illegal cannabis was seized.
An investigation spanning several weeks culminated in the operation led by the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). There were 20 search warrants served by four units of officers and local and state partners, including the Department of Fish & Wildlife, the Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the California National Guard, and local law enforcement – five in Antioch, three in Brentwood, two in Discovery Bay and ten in Pittsburg, resulting in the seizures of:
- 742 pounds of cannabis flower estimated valued of $1,244,762
- 17,121 cannabis plants estimated valued of $14,124,825
- 7 firearms (including 1 assault rifle)
- $24,197 in cash
Several of the locations were red-tagged for safety and code violations.
This whole cannabis seizing is strangely managed imo. Either make the sh!t legal or don’t! It’s a plant. It’s proven medicinal. Why does the gov feel the right to capitalize on its benefits any more than those working to do the same? Go after the mfg drugs that actually cause problems for others. Potheads aren’t the ones a threat to anyone else. Fact is, you can’t die from it, can’t overdose, doesn’t change you to a lunatic over use/ time, doesn’t make you steal for more…and rarely if ever becomes hostile where guns are part of the picture while indulging. Brownies maybe. Not weaponry. And the whole red tagging homes, for grow ops inside. For power alterations ok. But for tagging just because it’s pot? C’mon. Any amount u can fit in the avg home is nothing in the big picture. And the ones here aren’t any big picture! Idk, always to be a contraversial debate but the divide is usually users vs not. Why aren’t coggarrette smokers and alcoholics hassled because those kill innocent people daily and yet, no one pays any attn. That’s my argument. Outlaw alcohol again first. Then go after a stupid beneficial plant. Trust me, allowing people the psychological benefits these days they get from weed is far better for EVERYONE! More should indulge. Our whole country needs de-amped a lil…
The law is neither right or wrong it is simply the law. A quote from the lead Agent of the FBI’s Intel Service Squad (IS3 LA) He has a JD (that means he is a Lawyer. Several; years ago a house across the street was a grow house. I watched them bypass the electric meter….PGE shut off power, an electrician installed a new panel and upgraded feed to cover 120 watts.
Mold, fires, well armed young Chinese men and stink from the plants. The law does not allow Police to use a dog to certify the presence of buds. These homes often burn and take other homes with them.
If another investigation leads to a grow house LE can act.
Please site the data that supports large corporations being involved in a business that is allowed to operate but cannot bank the cash in Federal Chartered Banks or Credit Unions
YOU are allowed to grow up to 6 plants at home. The gangs that run the illegal growhouses are a bigger problem than stoned drivers on the road..
Do you want to use or smoke product that is not tested? Do none of you understand the process to grow marijuana? Do you not realize how many chemicals can attach themselves to a plant that is grown in a non-controlled environment?
Oh no. Poor illegal growers getting their cannabis (that can cause lung issues) taken off the market! Really?
Good riddance!!
…mmm? On the surface this looks like a positive law enforcement effort. However, if you scratch the surface, we’ll learn that Big Tobacco is now Big Legal Marijuana in the State of California and elsewhere. Therefore, this Commission’s real job is probably to intimidate and over-regulate small growers until they leave the business and Big Tobacco/Marijuana can monopolize the industry by continuing to bastardize the addictive and psychological properties of the marijuana plant through genetic engineering, despite known harm to human beings. It’s the same strategy Big Tobacco used to addict millions to toxic cigarettes, destroying hundred of thousands lives and burdening American Healthcare with the horrendous costs of tobacco+related disease & death
Who and what is Tulare, Co. contact info?
Tax evasion pisses me off. Yes pot is not a big deal anymore in my opinion. But these guys know the situation. Do it legally or else. Plus this shit makes a lot of money which goes under the radar and no taxes are paid on it. I have to pay taxes on my income