“Investigating illegal marijuana grows is important to public safety, the environment, and the stability of marijuana business operating legally with proper permits and licenses.  We thank CDFW officers for being available to assist their local law enforcement partners, offering their expertise in this area, and adding to the safety of investigating law enforcement officers.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

SANTA CLARA COUNTY – On September 28, 2026, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office announced, that with assistance from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), it discovered 720 illegally grown marijuana plants and evidence of illegal water diversion and pollution at a site near Mt. Hamilton Road.

Earlier in the month, the Sheriff’s Office Covert Investigations Unit served a search warrant on the private property.

Back in August, deputies checked out a tip about a possible grow in a remote area. With help from the department’s Star 1 helicopter and partners at California Department of Fish and Wildlife, detectives confirmed numerous marijuana plants were being cultivated on private property and that water was being diverted from a nearby creek. To reach the site, Marijuana Eradication Team and CDFW officers hiked several miles through tough terrain. No suspects were found.

Inside a greenhouse, they uncovered about 720 marijuana plants and evidence of illegal water diversion and pollution. Detectives completed their investigation and secured a warrant to remove the illegal grow, which has now been fully eradicated.