Illegal cannabis operations taken down near 2 California state parks

California State Parks have been the target of a statewide effort to identify and dismantle illegal cannabis operations this year.

Recently, authorities took down multiple cannabis grows near two state parks, resulting in the destruction of thousands of illegal plants and the recovery of multiple firearms.

According to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office, California authorities recently conducted operations near Saddleback Butte State Park in the Antelope Valley and Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park in Tulare County.

In the Antelope Valley, three different grow sites were identified near the park, leading to the eradication of more than 3,600 plants weighing about 9,600 pounds. Additionally, authorities recovered eight firearms, including two assault weapons and two ghost guns — untraceable firearms that are assembled using spare or 3D-printed parts and which have no serial number.

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In Allensworth, more than 1,500 plants weighing about 3,750 pounds were located and destroyed at two different grow sites. Six guns were seized, including one ghost gun, the Governor’s Office said.

The operations were conducted by the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the Governor’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce — a group of law enforcement officers from dozens of local, state and federal agencies.

Armando Quintero, director of California State Parks, said the nation’s largest state park system is responsible for protecting the state’s “most valued natural and cultural resources,” and part of that duty involves preventing environmental damage caused by illegal cannabis cultivation and keeping the parks and adjacent communities safe from crime.

In addition to crime that is associated with these illegal cannabis grows, the cultivation of the product often involves the use of pesticides and “unregulated practices” that can harm the environment and contaminate local water sources, officials said.

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Newsom says the task force exists to protect local communities from the cannabis black market while supporting the state’s legal 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,” Newsom said in a news release.

Since the formation of the UCETF in 2022, the task force has seized more than $120 million in illegal cannabis products, including nearly 73,300 pounds of unlicensed product, Newsom’s Office said. Those law enforcement crackdowns have also resulted in the eradication of more than 122,000 illegal plants.

For more information about the legal California cannabis market, including existing regulations and licensing information, click here.

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