Nearly $37 Million in Illegal Weed Found in Oakland, California Warehouse

This past weekend, officials discovered a warehouse in Oakland, California that was allegedly full of illegal cannabis plants, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Not only cannabis opponents, but also law-abiding operators are not fans of illegal cannabis businesses with which they have to compete.

The agency said it is one of the largest cannabis busts this year in the Bay Area, where illegal operations are commonplace.

On September 28, agents searched the warehouse in the 300 block of Adeline Street in Oakland. Police officers destroyed 41,082 cannabis plants and destroyed 1,841 pounds of “processed cannabis.” Officials say the estimated sales value was $36,930,300.

“We have a long history of fighting illegal outdoor cannabis cultivation, which has evolved into a broader range of activities, including warehouse cultivation, to help build a thriving legal market,” said Janice Mackey, a CDFW spokeswoman , in an email to High Times. “CDFW’s Cannabis Enforcement Program continually gathers intelligence, receives intelligence and conducts a variety of investigations with our state and county partners on various aspects of the illicit cannabis supply chain.”

“This is one of the largest cannabis enforcement efforts (in terms of retail value) in the Bay Area this year,” Mackey said.

Courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Fox KTVU 2 reports three guns were also seized at the scene. “No one has been arrested, but suspects have been questioned,” Mackey told KTVU 2 in an email. It’s unclear what alerted officials to the encampment, but they typically rely on concerned citizens Draw attention to processes.

CDFW officials said this is an ongoing investigation and no further information is available at this time. CDFW asserts that it has a public responsibility to protect and conserve California’s fish and wildlife resources. Cannabis growers, like most other industries, must comply with fish and game laws.

CDFW inspections have resulted in violations in the areas of water diversion and storage, grading, chemical use, threats to wildlife, timber conversion and public safety, the department notes. Between 2013 and 2018, over 700 inspections resulted in 399 tons of waste removed from public and private properties, including 2.4 million feet of irrigation pipe, 50 tons of fertilizer and 465 gallons of chemicals, many of them illegal. Additionally, the removal of 709 dams and water diversions associated with cannabis cultivation resulted in 800 million gallons of water being returned to local watersheds.

CDFW agents said they seized nearly 40,000 cannabis plants during raids on April 25, The San Francisco Standard reported. In that raid, a similar amount of cannabis valued at over $36 million was seized during raids at 744 Kevin Court and 4825 San Leandro St.

Oakland residents are used to rising crime in the area — sometimes cannabis companies and the people behind them are the victims. Last year, CRAFT (Citizens Research Alliance for Therapeutics) cannabis was robbed at gunpoint and approximately $100,000 worth of product was stolen. To make matters worse, eyewitnesses say it took “hours” for police to arrive at the scene.

In February 2022, a man was shot at Oakanna Pharmacy. Oakanna Pharmacy owner Joshua Chase was shot in the foot after a group of burglars set off an alarm at his relatively new retail store in the early hours of the morning.

Criminals are also getting creative in the ways they target cannabis businesses, such as through attempted break-ins, now with heavy equipment. Security footage taken last June shows a giant forklift being used in an attempted break-in at another pharmacy.

The region’s cannabis delivery industry has also been hit hard. Access to banking services could solve many of these problems and make pharmacies safer for the people who work there.

Courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife

CDFW Cannabis Enforcement Intensified

Wildlife officers from CDFW’s Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET) also conducted several enforcement investigations in rural areas in August and September, according to a Sept. 27 news release.

From September 4th to September 8th, MET officers raided several illegal cannabis operations on rural private property in Shasta, Tehama and Sutter counties. The officials often rely on concerned citizens to drop the penny: the officials were made aware of this by a hunter who happened to come across one of the unauthorized cultivation areas and reported it.

MET officers destroyed more than 5,500 illegal installations, arrested four suspects, confiscated several firearms including a stolen handgun, dismantled several water diversions, and removed thousands of pounds of trash. Support was provided by the CDFW Air Services and K9 Units, as well as the California Department of Justice (DOJ) Task Force Eradication and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis (EPIC).

“Many recreationalists who venture into California’s backcountry are our best eyes and ears when it comes to reporting poaching, pollution and illegal cannabis cultivation on public lands,” said CDFW Acting Chief of Law Enforcement Nathaniel Arnold. “These enforcement actions not only serve to keep the public and consumers safe, but also combat the illicit cannabis supply chain. I couldn’t be more proud of these dedicated officers.”

Recent raids in the Bay Area and beyond highlight the problem and spread of illegal cannabis operations in both urban and rural areas of California.