California Seizes More Than 139,000 Pounds of Illicit Cannabis This Year in Statewide Crackdown
The Governor's Office announced on October 29 that California's Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force (UCETF) has seized or destroyed 139,293 pounds of illicit cannabis valued at more than $230 million so far in 2026, and eradicated 236,846 plants. The task force is co-chaired by the Department of Cannabis Control and the Department of Fish and Wildlife and coordinated by the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
In the third quarter alone, operations across nine counties seized 55,308 pounds of illicit cannabis, eradicated 108,226 plants worth more than $91 million, and produced 14 arrests, nine firearms and $29,215 in cash seized. Investigators documented suspected organized crime, illegal water diversions, hazardous pesticides, utility theft and fire hazards.
Governor Gavin Newsom said illegal operations put communities at risk, damage the environment and undermine legal businesses. Since the task force was created in 2022, cumulative seizures exceed $1.47 billion in estimated value and 896,514 pounds.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 大麻种植（资料图）。Wikimedia Commons。 / Cannabis plants (file photo). Via Wikimedia Commons. 授权：CC BY-SA 4.0。 Source image: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Blooming_Blue_Dream.jpg/1280px-Blooming_Blue_Dream.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail
