“These law enforcement operations are labor intensive and require investigation and planning.  They can be extremely dangerous and put law enforcement officers at risk.  The amount of personnel and law enforcement agencies involved demonstrate the continually growing problem of illegal cannabis grows and the threat they pose to our communities, public safety, and the environment.  In addition, these operations often expose forced labor and human trafficking.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

MENDOCINO COUNTY – Between July 1-24, 2026, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the local, state and federal law enforcement partners, served numerous search warrants at unlicensed cannabis cultivation sites in the Covelo, Laytonville, Potter Valley, and Redwood Valley areas. These operations were conducted to target unregulated and unlicensed marijuana production and its impact on public safety, the environment, and the quality of life for Mendocino County residents.

Over the course of several weeks, authorities identified numerous illegal grow sites operating without the licenses required to legally cultivate cannabis under California law. These operations not only violate state law, but also pose substantial risks to public safety, environmental integrity, and the health of the surrounding community. These operations included over 30 sites that were investigated during the month of July.

Investigators located and documented numerous water diversions and extremely dangerous pesticides in proximity to local waterways and sensitive habitat areas. Law enforcement officials also found evidence of pesticides being used that are banned in the United States, specifically foreign-language labeled containers which are prohibited. Investigators noted these pesticides created serious concerns for residents, wildlife, and downstream natural resources.

At several of the sites investigated during these operations, Investigators contacted victims of suspected forced labor trafficking and provided assistance and observed indicators consistent with forced labor trafficking. Those indicators included workers living on-site in poor and overcrowded conditions, limited freedom of movement, deceptive recruitment, lack of identification documents, little or no meaningful pay, and exposure to hazardous chemicals and unsafe working conditions while performing cultivation or processing labor. These conditions are consistent with publicly documented patterns of labor exploitation associated with illegal marijuana grows, particularly in remote locations where vulnerable workers may be isolated, controlled, or threatened.

During the July 1 through July 24, 2026 enforcement period, law enforcement personnel:

• eradicated approximately 173,244 marijuana plants,
• seized 10,369 pounds of processed marijuana intended for sales,
• made numerous arrests,
• located and seized 626 ounces of illegal pesticides
•  and seized 26 firearms.

Evidence collected during these operations indicated organized and large-scale unlawful cultivation activity extending across multiple areas of Mendocino County.

These criminal investigations remain ongoing, and additional enforcement efforts are being planned to dismantle the illegal networks responsible for these operations. Reports will be forwarded to the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office requesting formal charging of several individuals identified during these investigations.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office thanked the following agencies for their assistance during these operations:

• Lake County Sheriff’s Office,
• California Department of Fish and Wildlife and its environmental impact team,
• Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office,
• California State Water Resources Control Board,
•  E.P.I.C. (Eradication and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis),
• California Department of Justice,
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM),
• California State Parks,
• US Forest Service,
•  CalFire,
• Clifton Environmental,
• Mendocino County Environmental Health Department,
• and the Northern California Coalition to Safeguard Communities (NCCSC).

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office will continue working with allied agencies and victim-service partners to investigate illegal cannabis operations, protect vulnerable victims, and fully investigate the suspected labor exploitation and related criminal activity.