California state officials said they have removed 21,000 cannabis plants and arrested eight suspects across six sites statewide in July and August.
Through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s specialized cannabis teams, officials took down illegal grow sites hidden within sensitive habitats and watersheds in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Tehama counties.
Officials destroyed more than 150 pounds of cannabis that had already been processed for sale. In addition to removing several bottles of pesticides banned in the U.S. due to health and safety hazards, officers also restored water flow at locations where water had been illegally diverted to supply these grows. According to CDFW, the 21,000 cannabis plants would have used up to 9.5 million gallons of water over their growing cycles if they had not been eradicated.
“Nearby communities and fish and wildlife depend on clean water from these watersheds,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “When criminals steal or destroy the natural resources that support California’s extraordinary biodiversity, we are committed to stopping them—and we have the teams in place to do that, no matter how far into the wilderness they try to hide their operations.”
The eight suspects face multiple charges including cultivation of cannabis with unlawful take, cannabis cultivation causing substantial environmental harm to public lands, cannabis cultivation resulting in pollution of waters of the state, depositing hazardous substances on land belonging to another, and resisting arrest.
