Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
🇺🇸 United States · Anti-narcotics agency · 161 reports
- People arrested
- 13,487
- Plants destroyed
- 16,351,791
- Cannabis seized
- 1,037.17 t
Totals of what these reports state; a report counts when a source it cites names the agency.
Tallahassee man sentenced to 25 years in federal drug case; 1 lb marijuana seized
A federal court sentenced Christopher L. Daniels, 47, of Tallahassee, Florida, to 25 years in prison after a jury convicted him of possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm as a felon. A January 2026 search of his home seized a pound (about 0.45 kg) of marijuana alongside methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, synthetic cathinones and four pistols.
Charged 1Convicted 1Sentenced 1Cannabis 453.6 gSpringfield man sentenced to 15 years over 2024 Jacksonville raid's 816 g of cannabis
A federal judge sentenced Christopher S. Robinson, 31, of Springfield to 15 years in prison for possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl for distribution, a case that began with a May 2024 raid in Jacksonville. Police reported finding 1.8 pounds of cannabis there and charged him with felony cannabis possession with intent to deliver.
Sentenced 1Cannabis 816 gPrison 15 yearsOBN seizes 15,703 marijuana plants at Clinton grow; one arrested
Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics Marijuana Enforcement Teams searched Cultivation World LLC south of Clinton in Washita County on 5 November 2026, seizing 15,703 marijuana plants and 114 pounds of processed marijuana. One person was arrested and three others were handed to U.S. immigration custody in an investigation into an OBN registration obtained by fraud through a straw ownership scheme.
Arrested 1Plants destroyed 15,703Cannabis 51.70944 kgConvicted felon arrested with gun, marijuana in Midland stop
TAG officers stopped Julian Jesus Medrano in Midland on 4 November 2026 and found him with marijuana and a firearm as a convicted felon. He was arrested for unlawful firearm possession and booked into the Midland County Detention Center on a U.S. Marshals detainer.
Arrested 1Six sentenced in West Virginia trafficking cases; 150 lb marijuana seized
Six traffickers were sentenced on 4 November 2026 in the Northern District of West Virginia to a combined 37 years in federal prison for fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking. Officers seized about 68.15 kilograms of marijuana in two of the cases, including 150 pounds at a Keyser duplex, alongside fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.
Sentenced 6Cannabis 68.15 kg12 sentenced to 154 years over Midlands drug ring, with 400 g of marijuana seized
Twelve people convicted in a Midlands drug-trafficking conspiracy were sentenced to a combined 154 years in federal prison, the last of them reported on 4 November 2026. Marijuana was a small part of the case: a 2024 search recovered 400 grams of it alongside methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and MDMA.
Sentenced 12Cannabis 400 gSites 4Nearly 1kg marijuana seized in Fort Wayne cocaine sweep
Indiana State Police seized nearly 1,000 grams of suspected marijuana alongside cocaine, fentanyl and guns in Operation Iron Scale raids on 3 November 2026 across Fort Wayne, Huntertown and Noblesville. Twelve people were arrested on felony conspiracy and narcotics-dealing charges, with no separate marijuana charges reported.
Arrested 12Cannabis 1 kgTwo arrested in Massachusetts raids in marijuana trafficking case
Plympton police-led Operation Playbook arrested two men in Marshfield and Halifax on marijuana and cocaine trafficking charges after searches in three towns. Officers reported hundreds of pounds gross of marijuana flower and THC products including packaging, plus cocaine, cash and other drugs.
Arrested 2Charged 214 store raids in Jackson metro net 800 lb of THC products
Mississippi Department of Public Safety agents served 14 search warrants at stores across Madison, Rankin and Hinds counties in Operation Preferred Purp and seized more than 800 pounds of THC products, with arrests made but not counted. The more than 200 pounds of products labeled as kratom, suspected of containing federally banned substances, are excluded from the cannabis weight.
Cannabis 362.874 kg1 Kyrgyz citizen extradited from US over postal marijuana ring
A Kyrgyz citizen accused of buying marijuana buds and psychotropic substances in the US and mailing them to Kyrgyzstan in parcels was extradited from the US with DEA and Interpol help. Police say accomplices distributed the drugs in Bishkek and Chui region; no amounts or full identity were disclosed and the investigation continues.
Arrested 1Two charged after 11 simultaneous Montgomery raids net 35 pounds of marijuana
Alabama's State Bureau of Investigation and the attorney general's office led searches at 11 Montgomery locations on 27 October 2026, ending a five-month inquiry. Officers seized 15,932 grams of marijuana, other drugs, five firearms and $14,157.93 in cash, and arrested Rodriquez Oates, 39, on a marijuana trafficking charge and Leon Howard III, 42, on a stolen-property charge.
Arrested 2Charged 2Cannabis 15.932 kg146 arrested as online-dealer sweep nets 1.4 tonnes of cannabis
Federal, state and local agencies arrested 146 people across 14 California counties in Operation Central Valley Blues, targeting dealers selling on social media with Meta's help. Officers seized 3,184 lb of cannabis plus meth, fentanyl pills, 43 guns and $338,000.
Arrested 146Cannabis 1.4442 tWarrants at seven Speedys and Compadres shops seize 2,135 lb of THC products
Colorado Springs police, the county sheriff and the DEA searched five Speedys Smoke Shop outlets and two Los Compadres liquor stores on 14 October 2026 over unlicensed THC and psilocybin sales, including sales to minors. CSPD later counted 2,135 lb of THC products, 469 lb of 7-OH and 4.2 lb of psilocybin products; narcotics charges were expected but no arrests were announced that day.
Cannabis 968.464 kgThree arrested in Rhode Island gang raids that seized guns, fentanyl and marijuana
Rhode Island State Police arrested three men from Cranston and Providence on 8 October 2026 after search warrants against a street gang accused of drug trafficking and firearms offences. Officers seized two illegal firearms, 50 grams of cocaine, 40 grams of fentanyl, marijuana and $5,000; the three face charges including possession with intent to deliver marijuana.
Arrested 3Charged 3Dallas marijuana distributor gets five years for interstate trafficking conspiracy
Dian Huang Jiang received a five-year federal prison sentence in Dallas on 9 September 2026. Prosecutors said he led a network moving marijuana from Oklahoma to Texas and other states, with deliveries reaching 1,000 pounds in a day.
Charged 1Prison 60 months3 held off Baní with 30 marijuana blocks in cocaine bust
Three Dominicans were detained off Baní after a 15-hour air-sea-land pursuit intercepted a 32-foot boat carrying 1,360 suspected cocaine packages and 30 blocks of apparent marijuana. The DNCD-led operation with US and Colombian support sent the 1,390 packages for forensic analysis, with the network investigation still open.
Arrested 3Six charged over four Las Vegas marijuana grow houses
A federal grand jury in Las Vegas indicted six residents on 10 counts over four alleged illegal marijuana grow houses maintained from January 2025 to February 2026. Each faces manufacturing and conspiracy charges near a protected area, with arraignment set for 1 September 2026 and a possible life sentence.
Charged 64 held as cabin raid in Cartago seizes 53 kg marijuana with cocaine
OIJ officers raided a cabin in Santa Clara, El Guarco, detaining four men and seizing 53 packages of marijuana alongside 1,092 cocaine packages. Colombia's police, with DEA support, presented the joint operation as a blow to international trafficking worth over USD 36.4 million.
Arrested 4Cannabis 53 kgSites 1Vehicles confiscated 3Greece raids net $17M in cannabis in OCM's largest seizure
Greece Police with the DEA, State Police and OCM raided two homes and two warehouses on 28 July 2026, seizing 615 lbs of flower and 20,000 lbs of concentrates plus a ghost gun, cash and vehicles. Joseph and Jason Grant were charged with first-degree criminal possession.
Arrested 2Charged 2Cannabis 9.35 t1,300 plants seized at illegal Applegate grow
Detectives raided an unlicensed cannabis grow near Jacksonville in the Applegate area, seizing about 1,300 marijuana plants and 3.5 pounds of THC extract. No arrests were announced; water regulators and code enforcement also responded to investigate violations.
Plants destroyed 1,300Cannabis 1.5876 kgDriver gets five years after Florida van search finds 597 pounds of marijuana
Federal prosecutors announced a five-year prison sentence for Henglie Zhou, 31, on 30 June 2026. A 2024 Florida traffic stop had found about 597 pounds of marijuana in the rental van he was driving.
Arrested 1Charged 1Cannabis 271 kgPrison 5 years26,470 cannabis plants seized from pear orchard near Central Point
Task-force detectives seized about 25,000 marijuana plants hidden among pear trees and 1,470 more in five hoop greenhouses at an unlicensed grow on Old Stage Road near Central Point, Oregon, with 16,000 pounds of usable cannabis. A 35-year-old Central Point man was arrested and charged with three felonies.
Arrested 1Charged 1Plants destroyed 26,470of them seized 26,470Operation Weed Out closes three Massena shops, seizes 1,000+ lb of cannabis
On 20 May 2026 federal and local agents raided three unlicensed marijuana dispensaries in Massena—Uncle Crandy's, Vape Bank/All the Smoke Massena, and Famous A's—seizing more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana and THC products, about 20 illegal firearms, and 40 pounds of suspected methamphetamine in a wider northern New York operation.
Cannabis 453.6 kg4.1 tonnes of Canadian Loud seized at Tincan port, Lagos
Nigerian officers seized more than 4.1 tonnes of Canadian Loud cannabis hidden in vehicles inside a container at Tincan Island port in Lagos. The container had travelled from Toronto via Montreal and Tanger Med, in an operation involving Nigerian services with United States and Canadian partners.
Cannabis 4.1 t1.3 tonnes of marijuana seized in Chitaga bound for Venezuela
Colombian police, with the DEA and the Attorney General's Office, seized 1.3 tonnes of marijuana from a vehicle in Chitaga, Norte de Santander, and captured one person. Police linked the Venezuela-bound load to the FARC dissident Dagoberto Ramos structure.
Arrested 1Cannabis 1.3 tVehicles confiscated 1Three held as 1,266 kg of marijuana seized off Cabo Matapalo
Costa Rica's Coast Guard intercepted an unflagged go-fast boat about 170 nautical miles off Cabo Matapalo and seized 1,266 packages of marijuana plus 295 grams. Three crew members were detained and placed at the disposal of the judicial authorities.
Arrested 3Cannabis 1.266295 t51 indicted as task force seizes 61,000 marijuana plants in Oklahoma
A coordinated Homeland Security Task Force takedown in late April 2026 ended with 28 of 51 people arrested, 22 search warrants executed and about 61,000 marijuana plants plus 550 kg of processed cannabis seized from alleged black-market grows in Oklahoma and stash sites in Michigan and Kansas.
Arrested 28Charged 51Plants destroyed 61,000Cannabis 550 kgFederal and local teams seize over 100 lb of illegal vape and smoke-shop products
On 12 March 2026 Oceanside police with DEA, naval criminal investigators and San Diego County's marijuana enforcement team inspected four vape and smoke shops in Oceanside and seized more than 100 pounds of illegal products that included THC-containing goods alongside psilocybin and kratom items; four people face state administrative penalties, not criminal charges in the release.
Cannabis 45.36 kgOperation Blunt Force arrests 20 in fraudulent medical marijuana licensing scheme
On 3 February 2026, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said Operation Blunt Force had arrested 20 people, including alleged ringleader Hao Tong Chen, after more than 50 search warrants against a straw-owner medical marijuana network that authorities tied to about one million pounds of black-market marijuana.
Arrested 20Charged 19Costa Rica and DEA seize 3,548 kg of marijuana from a boat off Matapalo
On the night of 20 January 2026 Costa Rican drug police and the Coast Guard, with DEA support, intercepted a go-fast boat about 40 nautical miles southwest of Cabo Matapalo and seized 6,452 marijuana packages weighing 3,548 kg. Three Colombian crew members were detained and the vessel Monarca CP01 was towed to Golfito.
Arrested 3Cannabis 3.548 tEPIC task force eradicated 728,458 cannabis plants across California in 2025
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the Eradication and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis (EPIC) program removed 728,458 illegally cultivated plants and made 204 arrests in 605 operations across 34 counties during 2025, with Mendocino and Kern among the hardest-hit counties.
Arrested 204Plants destroyed 728,458Operation Ganjapreneur arrests 12 and seizes 15 tons of illegal THC products
On 9 December 2025, South Carolina's State Grand Jury, SLED and the DEA arrested 12 wholesale distributors and searched 15 sites in Richland and Lexington counties, seizing more than 30,000 pounds of illegal marijuana and THC products and about $2 million in assets.
Arrested 12Charged 1215,000 marijuana plants seized at unregistered Wilson grow
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s Organized Crime Task Force raided Purple Light 168 LLC near Wilson on 20 October 2025, eradicating about 15,000 plants and processed marijuana. Several workers were handed to ICE; criminal arrests were still pending.
Plants destroyed 15,000Operation Vape Trail week: DEA seizes marijuana among 2.3 million vape devices
From 15 to 19 September 2025, the US Drug Enforcement Administration's Operation Vape Trail seized more than 2.3 million vape pens and cartridges nationwide, made 106 arrests and seized 115 firearms, with highlighted marijuana hauls including about 200 pounds in Little Rock and 15 pounds alongside THC products in the Galveston area.
Arrested 106Cannabis 97.5 kgDEA and Stafford police seize 1,200 lb from illegal marijuana warehouse
On 27 August 2025 DEA Houston and Stafford police searched 4003 Greenbriar Drive in Stafford, seizing about 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) of marijuana from an illegal warehouse and detaining 18 undocumented workers handed to ICE for deportation processing.
Arrested 18Cannabis 544 kgSix charged with murder over five deaths at illegal cannabis labs
Los Angeles County prosecutors charged six people on 1 August 2025 over five worker deaths at illegal cannabis extraction labs, four killed in a 2023 Irwindale blast and one in a 2024 South El Monte fire. Ted Chien, the alleged owner, faces five murder counts that could carry death or life without parole.
Arrested 6Charged 6Deaths 517 arrested in Wake Forest-area raid; two charged with marijuana offences
DEA agents and Wake County deputies raided a home on Hartsfield Drive near Wake Forest on 26 February 2025 and, with partner agencies, arrested 17 people for what the county sheriff called a large-scale operation against drug traffickers. Two of those charged face possession-with-intent and felony possession marijuana counts among the cocaine and other drug charges.
Arrested 17Two men charged after 153 pounds of marijuana seized in Duluth storage raid
Gwinnett County deputies and federal agents arrested two men after a marijuana delivery to a storage facility in Duluth, Georgia, and searches of the unit and a hotel found 153 pounds (69.4 kg) of marijuana and more than $20,000 in cash. Both were charged with trafficking in marijuana and were held at the Gwinnett County Jail.
Arrested 2Charged 2Cannabis 69.4 kgCash confiscated USD 20,000DEA reports 5.3 million cannabis plants destroyed in 2024 and 5,764 arrests
The Drug Enforcement Administration reported that it and its partners destroyed about 5.3 million cultivated cannabis plants in 2024 and made 5,764 marijuana-related arrests, with 35 states taking part. Its 2024 data put the enforcement effort slightly below 2022 and 2021 and counted 16,330 eradicated grow sites.
Arrested 5,764Plants destroyed 5,300,000Three held as 1,184 kg of marijuana seized off Isla Jicarón
Colombia's police director, general William Salamanca, announced on 26 November 2024 that a joint operation south of Isla Jicarón, Veraguas, had seized 1,184 kilos of marijuana and 704 kilos of cocaine from a Go-Fast boat. Three people described as Nicaraguan and Costa Rican were captured and handed to Panamanian authorities.
Arrested 3Cannabis 1.184 tDump trucks of marijuana plants seized from Mead warehouse
On 29 October 2024, the Bryan County Sheriff's Office, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and the DEA seized several dump trucks' worth of marijuana plants from a warehouse off Highway 70 in Mead, serving multiple warrants across the county the same day. No plant count and no confirmed arrests were published.
EPIC teams eradicated 774,829 cannabis plants across California in 2024
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the Eradication and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis (EPIC) program eradicated 774,829 illegally cultivated plants, seized 106,141 pounds of processed cannabis and made 282 arrests in 665 operations across 36 counties in 2024.
Arrested 282Plants destroyed 774,829Cannabis 48.14475 t4,760 cannabis plants seized from Skowhegan grow; three from Brooklyn arrested
Somerset County sheriff's deputies searching a home on Waterville Road in Skowhegan found 4,760 cannabis plants in March 2024 and arrested three Brooklyn residents, who were charged with drug trafficking and marijuana cultivation. The home held cash, a pickup truck and signs of black mould and electrical faults, and one defendant's trial later collapsed after he returned to China.
Arrested 3Charged 3Plants destroyed 4,760Cash confiscated USD 7,000Half a million pounds of cannabis seized at White City warehouses
Oregon State Police seized roughly 500,000 pounds of processed marijuana worth an estimated $500 million from five warehouses in White City on 18 November 2021, the largest such bust in southern Oregon, detaining over 100 people and seizing a firearm.
Cannabis 226.796 tDEA joins 500-person Antelope Valley illegal marijuana grow raid; 23 arrested
Congressman Jay Obernolte said federal agents joined California officers to shut down cartel-tied illegal marijuana grows in the Antelope Valley on 8 June 2021, a day on which 23 people were arrested and five firearms seized. Obernolte and Congressman Mike Garcia had written to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking for federal help against illegal growers.
Arrested 23Eleven arrested as Oregon warrants seize 1,900 cannabis plants and $373,000
Eleven people were arrested in Oregon in March 2021 after police searched five sites in Linn, Benton and Marion counties and said they found an illegal marijuana grow tied to money laundering through restaurants. Investigators seized over 1,900 plants, 40 pounds of processed marijuana and more than $373,000 in cash; the eleven were jailed on racketeering, money laundering and marijuana charges.
Arrested 11Charged 11Plants destroyed 1,900Cannabis 18.14 kgJohn Knock's double life term for marijuana commuted after 24 years
John Knock, 73, a first-time marijuana-only offender serving two life terms plus 20 years from a 2000 federal trial in Gainesville, had his sentence commuted on 20 January 2021. Arrested in Paris in 1996 and extradited after a three-year fight, he had served 24 years.
Prison two life terms plus 20 years (commuted January 2021)California CAMP eradicated 1.1 million plants in the 2020 season
Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting removed more than 1.1 million illegally grown plants at 455 sites across 29 counties during the 2020 season, with 140 arrests and 174 weapons seized.
Arrested 140Plants destroyed 1,100,000Cannabis 18.597 tFederal teams seize 16,436 plants and arrest six north of Rifle, Colorado
More than 70 officers raided five illegal marijuana grow sites north of Rifle, Colorado, on 25 August 2020, removing 16,436 plants and arresting six men living at the camps. One suspect was injured fleeing across rough terrain; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado is prosecuting the case.
Arrested 6Plants destroyed 16,436California CAMP eradicated 953,459 cannabis plants in the 2019 season
Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting removed 953,459 illegally grown plants in 345 raids across 35 counties during the 2019 season, with 148 arrests and 168 weapons seized.
Arrested 148Plants destroyed 953,459Riverside raids seize 140,877 plants in Anza Valley; eight arrested
About 700 officers served warrants at more than 118 illegal grows across the Anza Valley on 5 June 2019, seizing 140,877 plants the sheriff valued at $189 million plus 3,037 pounds of processed marijuana, guns, and arresting eight people.
Arrested 8Plants destroyed 140,877Cannabis 1.3776 tMore than 540,000 marijuana plants removed from 194-acre farm west of Dos Palos
Merced County deputies and federal agents searched a farm at Hutchins Road and Palm Avenue near Dos Palos on 5 November 2018 and removed more than 540,000 marijuana plants from fields the owner said he had planted with hemp. Four people caught raiding the fields over the preceding week were arrested, with two guns recovered, and the sheriff said the case was still under investigation.
Arrested 4Plants destroyed 540,000Area 78.5 haCannabis 22.68 kgFive arrested as 340 plants seized in Pueblo West grow bust
Pueblo County deputies and the DEA searched six Pueblo West homes on 24 October 2018 and arrested five people over an illegal marijuana-growing network. Detectives seized 340 plants and about 70 pounds of dried marijuana worth about $1.2 million and condemned five houses over unsafe grow alterations.
Arrested 5Plants destroyed 340Cannabis 31.751 kgCalifornia CAMP eradicated 614,267 cannabis plants in the 2018 season
Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting removed 614,267 illegally grown plants in more than 254 raids across 40 counties during the 2018 season, with 52 arrests and 110 weapons seized. The take was less than half the 1.26 million plants of 2017, which his office partly blamed on wildfires.
Arrested 52Plants destroyed 614,26711 arrested as 20 tons of hashish found on ship off Sicily
Italian police intercepted the Panama-flagged survey vessel Remus and found 20 tons of hashish hidden in its fuel tanks. Its 11 Montenegrin crew members were arrested on international drug-trafficking charges.
Arrested 11Cannabis 20 t9 arrested as 150 kg marijuana seized in Rijeka port operation
Croatian-led Operation NANA seized 150 kg of marijuana and over 100 kg of cocaine from a scrap-metal container at Rijeka port on 8 March 2018. Nine suspects were arrested across four European countries in the joint action against the Balkan cartel network.
Arrested 9Cannabis 150 kg20 sentenced in Georgia prison drug ring; one marijuana probation
Twenty people were sentenced in Albany Federal Court over a drug conspiracy run from inside Georgia prisons, among them a relief postmaster given five years of probation for conspiracy to distribute marijuana. The ring moved methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and marijuana, and the only cannabis-specific penalty reported was that probation term for Loretta Hunt of Tifton.
Sentenced 20400 pounds of marijuana hidden in 15 new Fords seized in Ohio
Portage County police recovered 400 pounds of marijuana, valued at about $1 million, hidden in the spare-wheel wells of 15 new Ford Fusions at Ohio dealerships in July 2017. No arrests had been made as local police and the DEA investigated how the Mexico-built cars were loaded before crossing into Arizona.
Cannabis 181.44 kgGuam math teacher gets 57 months for 121-plant Piti marijuana grow
A federal judge sentenced former Jose Rios Middle School math teacher Vincent John Quitugua to 57 months in prison on 6 July 2017 over an indoor marijuana grow in Piti, where agents found 121 plants and 429 grams of processed marijuana. Quitugua pleaded guilty in a case mixing methamphetamine and cannabis charges, and the marijuana distribution charge was dismissed.
Arrested 1Charged 1Convicted 1Sentenced 112 kg hashish seized in Farah heroin superlab raid
A joint U.S.-Afghan force seized 12 kg of hashish alongside about 19 tonnes of heroin and morphine base in Farah province on 17 October 2016. The DEA said the Hadimama superlab raid was the largest known heroin seizure in Afghanistan, with a combined street value of about $60 million.
Cannabis 12 kgFour arrested, 1,010 kg of marijuana seized from boat off Venezuela in CCSF week
U.S. Coast Guard cutter Joseph Napier intercepted a fast boat about 44 nautical miles northeast of Blanquilla, Venezuela, on 23 August 2016, arresting four men from Jamaica and Antigua and seizing 1,010 kilograms of marijuana. In the same week the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force also took 2,386 kilograms of cocaine, with nine arrests in all and an agency estimate of about $60 million.
Arrested 9Cannabis 1.01 t20,000 plants seized in statewide Colorado illicit-grow crackdown, 32 held
Federal, state and local officers dismantled illicit marijuana grows across Colorado over six weeks, destroying nearly 20,000 plants and seizing more than 300 kg of dried cannabis. Thirty-two people were arrested and face federal drug trafficking charges.
Arrested 32Plants destroyed 20,000Cannabis 300 kgSix held as 5,050 pounds of marijuana seized off South Andros
Six men were taken into custody after Bahamian police and U.S. agents intercepted a go-fast boat carrying 5,050 pounds (about 2,291 kg) of marijuana in waters off Kemps Bay, South Andros, which the Coast Guard valued at $4.6 million wholesale. Seven men were later charged, and one was sentenced to 26 months in jail after pleading guilty.
Arrested 6Charged 7Cannabis 2.29064 tPrison 26 monthsFederal agents seize 12,000 marijuana plants in raids on two tribes' lands
Bureau of Indian Affairs and DEA agents with Modoc County deputies raided grows on Alturas Rancheria and Pit River tribal lands near Alturas on 8 July 2015, seizing at least 12,000 plants and over 100 pounds of processed marijuana over tribal protests.
Plants destroyed 12,000Cannabis 45.36 kgDEA raids two Farmacy dispensaries in West Hollywood and Westwood
DEA agents raided two Los Angeles shops of The Farmacy medical marijuana chain on 23 October 2014 under sealed warrants, seizing money, marijuana and computers. Staff said the shops followed state law, and no one was arrested.
Senad destroys 598 hectares of marijuana in Nueva Alianza VII
Paraguay's Senad, with Brazil's Federal Police and U.S. DEA support, destroyed 598 hectares of marijuana and dozens of processing camps in Amambay department during a week-long Nueva Alianza VII push reported on 23 February 2014.
Area 598 haCannabis 1.62 tOperation Kruz Control raids Arizona stash houses; 11 arrested
Federal, state and local officers raided stash houses in Phoenix and Willcox on 13 December 2013, arresting 11 of 13 accused Sinaloa-linked traffickers and seizing 1,400 pounds of marijuana in the takedown of a year-long investigation.
Arrested 11Charged 11Cannabis 635 kgCash confiscated USD 200,000MediZen operator sentenced to five years in federal dispensary case
Stockton businessman Matthew Davies was sentenced to five years in federal prison on 13 December 2013 for manufacturing marijuana and supplying dispensaries in Stockton and Sacramento. His partner had pleaded guilty in January to running the MediZen chain raided by the DEA in October 2011.
Convicted 2Prison 5 yearsNine held as 3,150 pounds of marijuana seized off Eleuthera
U.S. and Bahamian agents arrested nine people and seized 3,150 pounds (about 1,429 kg) of marijuana after a go-fast boat was spotted dropping packages near Hatchet Point on Eleuthera Island. The Coast Guard valued the load at more than $3 million wholesale.
Arrested 9Cannabis 1.4288 tDEA-led raids hit 28 Michigan sites; 27 cases dropped days later
Federal agents raided 28 sites across six western Michigan counties on 16 and 17 October 2013, arresting 27 people accused of hiding behind the state's medical marijuana law; six days later prosecutors dropped all the charges pending a grand jury review.
Arrested 27Charged 27Nine arrested as OPBAT seizes 1,220 pounds of marijuana on Andros
A joint DEA, U.S. Coast Guard and Bahamian task force seized 1,220 pounds (about 553 kg) of marijuana hidden in the mangroves of Andros Island on 28 August 2013. The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested nine suspects after a Coast Guard helicopter spotted the stash; the Coast Guard valued the haul at $1.1 million wholesale.
Arrested 9Cannabis 553.38 kgDEA and police raid three Kush Concepts dispensaries and a home in San Bernardino
Federal agents and San Bernardino police raided three Kush Concepts medical marijuana dispensaries and a private home on 6 February 2013, serving warrants simultaneously without incident. No one was arrested, and the US Attorney's Office was left to decide on charges.
Federal authorities target 71 dispensaries in Los Angeles crackdown
Federal authorities took action against 71 marijuana stores in Los Angeles on 25 September 2012, filing three asset-forfeiture lawsuits, executing three DEA search warrants and sending warning letters to 68 operators and landlords.
DEA raids Green Heart dispensaries in Anderson and Mount Shasta
DEA agents served sealed federal search warrants on the Green Heart medical marijuana collectives in Anderson and Mount Shasta on 12 September 2012, kicking in doors and taking all marijuana while making no arrests.
578,000 plants destroyed in seven-state public-lands sweep
Federal, state and local officers eradicated more than 578,000 cannabis plants from public lands in seven western states between 1 July and late August 2012 in Operation Mountain Sweep, a haul the DEA valued at more than $1 billion.
Plants destroyed 578,0008 tons of cartel marijuana seized from tractor-trailer in Chicago
A Chicago police and DEA Strike Force seized about eight tons of Mexican marijuana from a cartel staging warehouse on 26 June 2012, the city's largest seizure in at least 20 years. Officers showed off the $40 million haul two days later as evidence that gangs were fighting over the trade.
Cannabis 7.2575 tDEA raids Sacramento's first permitted dispensary, El Camino Wellness
The DEA raided El Camino Wellness Center in Sacramento on 11 June 2012, shutting the city's first permitted medical-marijuana dispensary without filing charges while the IRS seized its bank accounts. The raid was part of a federal crackdown that had already closed most county dispensaries.
17 held over 500 kg mailed from Arlington to St. Croix
Federal authorities arrested six people in North Texas and 11 in St. Croix over a ring accused of mailing more than 120 parcels holding over 500 kilograms of marijuana from Arlington since 2009. Alleged ringleader Neil Nick Rene, whose sister was killed in a 1994 drug dispute, was among those released on bond.
Arrested 17Cannabis 500 kgFederal agents raid Oaksterdam cannabis school in Oakland
Federal agents raided Oaksterdam University in Oakland on 2 April 2012, sealing the cannabis trade school, its museum, a dispensary and the founder's apartment under a sealed warrant. Founder Richard Lee was briefly detained but not arrested, while protesters gathered outside the school.
DEA and Costa Mesa police raid Bayside Patients dispensary, arrest three
About 15 DEA agents with Costa Mesa police and firefighters raided the Bayside Patients dispensary in Costa Mesa on 8 March 2012, arresting three people and seizing about 10 pounds of marijuana and cash from a safe sawed open outside.
Arrested 3Cannabis 4.53592 kg25 grow houses raided across Colorado in Operation Sweet Leaf
Officers raided 25 homes across metro Denver and Breckenridge on 25 January 2012, seizing 2,749 plants and about 148 pounds of dried marijuana. Task-force officials said the grows supplied out-of-state buyers by mail; a dozen people were arrested at first, with 16 warrants issued.
Arrested 12Plants destroyed 2,749Cannabis 66.93 kgDEA raids three Costa Mesa dispensaries and growers' homes
DEA agents raided three medical marijuana dispensaries and their owners' homes in Costa Mesa on 17 January 2012, arresting a grower and seizing more than 500 plants while federal prosecutors sued landlords and warned dozens of other shops to close.
Arrested 132 tons of marijuana seized in second Otay Mesa tunnel in two weeks
The San Diego Tunnel Task Force found a 612-yard cross-border tunnel between an Otay Mesa warehouse and Tijuana on 29 November 2011, seizing more than 32 tons of marijuana worth nearly $65 million and arresting six suspects, two weeks after a separate 14-ton tunnel seizure nearby.
Arrested 6Cannabis 29.02991 tAt least 14 medical-marijuana dispensaries raided across Puget Sound
Federal agents and county task forces raided at least 14 medical-marijuana dispensaries across King, Pierce and Thurston counties on 15 November 2011, the largest such sweep since voters approved medical marijuana in 1998. More than a dozen people were arrested; the DEA said the shops hid commercial dealing behind the medical law.
Arrested 13DEA raids licensed Northstone Organics garden in Mendocino
DEA agents raided the licensed Northstone Organics collective garden in Redwood Valley on 13 October 2011, chainsawing 99 sheriff-inspected plants. Founder Matt Cohen and his wife were handcuffed for eight hours but not arrested; the collective served some 1,700 medical members.
Plants destroyed 9914 tons of marijuana seized at Highway 86 checkpoint near Salton City
Border Patrol agents found more than 1,100 bundles of marijuana in a tractor-trailer at the Highway 86 checkpoint near Salton City on the night of 29 September 2011, weighing about 28,300 pounds and valued at over $22.6 million. The 35-year-old driver was arrested and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration with the drugs and the truck.
Arrested 1Cannabis 12.837 tBermuda jury convicts Mary Johnson over 49 kg of cannabis in Newark luggage
A Bermuda Supreme Court jury found Mary Johnson, 53, of Pembroke, guilty of conspiring to import cannabis after US agents found 49kg of the drug in the false bottoms of her luggage at Newark airport in October 2010. She was remanded in custody until sentencing in November 2011; the cannabis could have sold for $2.4 million on Bermuda's streets.
Charged 1Cannabis 49 kg60 arrested in El Cajon Iraqi-Sinaloa ring; 3,500 lb marijuana seized
Federal and local authorities arrested about 60 people tied to an Iraqi social-club trafficking ring in El Cajon, California, that investigators linked to Sinaloa-cartel marijuana shipped to Detroit. Authorities said they seized more than 3,500 pounds of marijuana plus cash, vehicles, guns and explosive devices, and nine defendants faced federal charges.
Arrested 60Charged 9Cannabis 1.58757 tVehicles confiscated 3Two tonnes of cannabis seized in raids on Greek-Albanian ring
Greek police raided a Greek-Albanian trafficking ring in Attica and Larissa on 19 March 2011, seizing nearly two tonnes of cannabis bound for western Europe. Six suspects were arrested, including the suspected mastermind, a trucking-company owner from Larissa.
Arrested 6Cannabis 1.82 tFederal agents raid 26 medical-marijuana sites across Montana
On 14 March 2011 federal agents executed 26 search warrants at medical-marijuana dispensaries and grow sites in 13 Montana cities, seizing plants, computers and bank accounts but making no arrests. The US Attorney called it an 18-month trafficking investigation; advocates called it an attack on the state's medical-marijuana law as lawmakers debated repeal.
30 tons of cannabis seized in San Diego-Tijuana tunnel bust
Task force agents uncovered a 600-yard crawlspace tunnel between an Otay Mesa warehouse and Tijuana and seized about 30 tons of cannabis worth $20 million on both sides of the border, taking the truck driver and passenger into custody at a Temecula checkpoint.
Arrested 2Cannabis 27.21554 tMarc Emery gets five years in a US prison for cannabis seeds
Canadian activist Marc Emery was sentenced in Seattle on 10 September 2010 to five years in US federal prison for conspiracy to manufacture marijuana after admitting he sold millions of cannabis seeds to American customers.
Prison 5 yearsFederal agents raid five Las Vegas medical dispensaries
DEA agents with Las Vegas police raided at least five medical marijuana dispensaries across Las Vegas on 8 September 2010, seizing patient and financial records. No arrests were made, and the warrants and supporting affidavits were sealed by court order.
12 arrested as federal agents raid San Diego marijuana dispensaries
Federal agents served search warrants on at least three San Diego-area medical marijuana dispensaries on 9 July 2010, arresting 12 people tied by investigators to alleged dealer Joshua Hester and seizing money, marijuana and patient records.
Arrested 12DEA tears out 99 plants at first permitted Mendocino collective
A federal task force raided the Covelo collective of Joy Greenfield on 7 July 2010, tearing out 99 plants days after Mendocino County approved her permit application. Greenfield was absent and no arrests were reported, but agents took her computer and cash.
Plants destroyed 99Project Deliverance seized 69 tons of marijuana; 2,266 arrested
A 22-month DEA-led operation against Mexican cartel transport networks ended on 10 June 2010 with 2,266 arrests and seizures of 69 tons of marijuana, alongside cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, cash and weapons.
Arrested 2,266Cannabis 62.59575 tDEA raids televised Denver medical grow, arrests caregiver
DEA agents raided caregiver Chris Bartkowicz's Highlands Ranch basement grow on 12 February 2010, a day after he showed it off on Denver television, seizing more than 150 plants. The US attorney announced a federal prosecution carrying up to 40 years.
Arrested 1Police and DEA destroy 250,000 cannabis plants in San Marcos
Guatemalan police, soldiers and DEA agents destroyed 250,000 marijuana plants alongside 319 million opium plants in a four-day operation in Ixchiguán and Tajumulco, San Marcos, announced 5 February 2010.
Plants destroyed 250,00033 arrested as task force raids 14 San Diego dispensaries
A county narcotics task force with federal agents raided 14 medical marijuana dispensaries across San Diego County on 9 September 2009 in Operation Green Rx, arresting 33 people, 14 of them medical marijuana patients.
Arrested 33Largest Colorado outdoor grow found in Pike National Forest; two arrested
Federal agents seized about 14,500 marijuana plants in the Pike National Forest near Deckers, the largest outdoor grow ever found in Colorado. Two men were arrested at the cartel-linked site.
Arrested 2Plants destroyed 14,500Five arrested in Lake County in first DEA medical cases under Obama
Federal agents arrested five people in Lake County on 18 August 2009 and seized 154 plants from Upper Lake resident Tom Carter, in what advocates called the first DEA medical-marijuana arrests under Obama. Carter, former dispensary manager Scott Feil, his wife Diana, Brett Bassignani and Steven Swanson were held in Oakland on trafficking conspiracy allegations tied to a reported informant deal.
Arrested 5Plants destroyed 154Morro Bay dispensary operator gets a year and a day in federal prison
A federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced Morro Bay dispensary operator Charles Lynch to a year and a day in prison on 11 June 2009, far below the five-year mandatory minimum prosecutors sought. His city-licensed shop had been raided in 2007, and a jury convicted him in 2008 without hearing about California's medical marijuana law.
Arrested 1Prison 1 year and 1 dayEddy Lepp sentenced to ten years for 20,000-plant medical garden
DEA agents raided activist Eddy Lepp's openly grown medical marijuana garden near Upper Lake in 2004, seizing about 20,000 plants. On 18 May 2009 a federal judge sentenced him to the ten-year mandatory minimum, calling the sentence excessive but required by federal law.
Arrested 13Plants destroyed 20,000Prison 10 yearsDEA raids Emmalyn's cannabis clinic days after Holder statement
DEA agents raided Emmalyn's California Cannabis Clinic in San Francisco on 25 March 2009, seizing plants, equipment, cash and computers but making no arrests, days after Attorney General Holder said the Obama administration would not target state-compliant dispensaries. The agency cited suspected violations while a city source pointed to alleged sales-tax issues the clinic denied.
DEA raids South Lake Tahoe dispensary in first Obama-era raid
DEA agents raided the Holistic Solutions medical cannabis dispensary in South Lake Tahoe on 22 January 2009, days into the Obama administration, seizing medical cannabis and cash. No one was arrested in the raid, the first dispensary raid of the new administration.
Modesto dispensary owners get 21 years and 20 years in federal prison
A federal court sentenced California Healthcare Collective owners Luke Scarmazzo and Ricardo Montes to 21 years 10 months and 20 years on 21 November 2008 for running a Modesto medical marijuana dispensary raided by the DEA in 2006. The continuing-criminal-enterprise conviction carried a 20-year mandatory minimum that two jurors said they had not known about.
Arrested 9Prison 21 years and 10 months (Scarmazzo); 20 years (Montes)Operation Green Reaper seized 4,578 plants in 13 King County grow raids
On 10 September 2008 the DEA and Puget Sound police executed 13 search warrants on indoor marijuana grows across King County under Operation Green Reaper, seizing 4,578 plants, three weapons, about US$50,000 cash and 20 vehicles while taking 20 people into custody.
Arrested 20Plants destroyed 4,57834,996 marijuana plants seized in Los Padres National Forest raids
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department and federal partners seized 34,996 marijuana plants valued at nearly 87.5 million dollars in the Los Padres National Forest in late July 2008, making no arrests.
Plants destroyed 34,996DEA raids Organica medical dispensary in Culver City
Federal agents raided the Organica Collective medical marijuana dispensary on Washington Boulevard in Culver City on 31 July 2008, spending four hours serving a search warrant that made no arrests but left the shop in disarray. The raid came the same day a state appeals court ordered two counties to issue medical marijuana ID cards.
Roseville dispensary owner Richard Marino gets 51 months in federal prison
Richard James Marino, whose licensed Capitol Compassionate Care dispensary in Roseville served about 1,000 patients, was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison on 22 July 2008 after pleading guilty to marijuana conspiracy and money laundering. DEA agents had raided the shop and his Newcastle home in September 2004, seizing 617 plants, processed marijuana, hashish and $105,000.
Charged 1Cannabis 21.827 kgPrison 51 monthsFine USD 2,500DEA eradicates almost 10,000 marijuana plants across St. Croix
The DEA's Caribbean Division reported that Operation No Plant Left Behind eradicated almost 10,000 marijuana plants from 80 fields across St. Croix in a seven-day sweep ending on 20 June 2008, a record for the island.
Plants destroyed 10,000Seven tons of marijuana found in Tecate cross-border tunnel
A US Border Patrol canine unit found a 1,300-foot cross-border tunnel at Tecate on 3 December 2007, with seven tons of marijuana in 888 packages in a shipping container on the US side and a second opening in a Tecate warehouse; an armed man escaped into the tunnel and no arrests were reported.
Cannabis 6.35029 tRecord 2.9 million cannabis plants eradicated across California in 2007
Attorney General Jerry Brown announced a record 2.9 million illegally grown plants worth an estimated $11.6 billion eradicated from parks and state lands across California in the 2007 season, with federal prosecutors reporting 36 indictments in the Sacramento district alone.
Plants destroyed 2,900,000DEA raids Hayward collective and arrests the Norton brothers
DEA and IRS agents raided the Compassionate Collective of Alameda County near Hayward on the morning of 30 October 2007 and arrested brothers Winslow and Abraham Norton. The brothers were indicted for conspiring to distribute more than 220 pounds of marijuana, alongside money-laundering counts.
Arrested 2DEA raids Arts District Healing Center dispensary in Los Angeles
Twenty DEA agents raided the Arts District Healing Center dispensary near Little Tokyo in Los Angeles on the night of 11 October 2007, searching the building for over three hours and seizing marijuana and cash. No one was arrested; weeks later the dispensary sued the DEA over threats to its landlord.
Operation Puma raids across Texas net 32 Gulf Cartel suspects and 15.9 tonnes of marijuana
Federal agents arrested more than 30 Gulf Cartel-linked suspects in coordinated 16 August 2007 raids across four Texas cities, seizing 15,945 kg of marijuana, 2,622 kg of cocaine and $5.5 million in the Southern District in the 2.5-year Operation Puma investigation.
Arrested 32Cannabis 15.945 tDEA raids Corona dispensary; owner faces federal drug charges
DEA agents raided the Healing Nations Collective dispensary in Corona on 17 July 2007, seizing fifteen pounds of cannabis and edibles and arresting owner Ronald Naulls and an employee. Naulls pleaded not guilty to federal drug-trafficking charges on 1 August; his wife was also arrested and their three children taken into protective custody.
Arrested 3Cannabis 6.8 kgDEA raids 10 medical marijuana dispensaries across Los Angeles
Federal drug agents raided 10 medical marijuana dispensaries across Los Angeles on 25 July 2007, the same day the City Council voted to halt new dispensaries; crowds protested at the California Patients Group in Hollywood while the LAPD stood by.
Operation Imperial Emperor seized 27,229 pounds of marijuana; 400 arrested
A 20-month DEA investigation into a Mexico-based trafficking organization ended on 28 February 2007 with more than 400 arrests nationwide and seizures of 27,229 pounds of marijuana plus cocaine, methamphetamine, cash, weapons and vehicles.
Arrested 400Cannabis 12.351 tDEA raids 11 medical marijuana dispensaries across Los Angeles County
Federal agents with Los Angeles police raided 11 medical marijuana dispensaries across Los Angeles County on 17 January 2007, seizing about 5,000 pounds of marijuana plus weapons and money; several people were detained but no arrests were made.
Cannabis 2.26796 tWashington destroys more than 130,000 marijuana plants in 2006
Washington law enforcement destroyed more than 130,000 marijuana plants in 2006 under the joint state-federal eradication program, nearly matching the 2005 record. The seizures led to more than 340 arrests and 190 weapons seizures; officials attributed the crop to traffickers moving from Canada.
Arrested 340Plants destroyed 130,000502 bales of marijuana seized in northwest Houston warehouse raid
Harris County sheriff's deputies acting on an anonymous tip raided a warehouse in the 7300 block of West Road in northwest Houston on 27 December 2006, seizing 502 bales of marijuana weighing nearly 7,000 kilograms and charging a truck driver with drug trafficking.
Arrested 1Cannabis 7 tDEA raids Hayward medical marijuana cooperative and arrests two
DEA and IRS agents raided the Local Patients Cooperative in Hayward on 12 December 2006 and arrested owner Shon Squier, 34, and manager Valerie Herschel, 23, on federal conspiracy and distribution charges.
Arrested 2Kentucky police burn record 557,276 marijuana plants in 2006
Kentucky police cut and burned 557,276 marijuana plants in 2006, the state's most successful eradication year in more than a decade, and made 475 arrests. The DEA flew in helicopters and an aeroplane to spot plots from the air during the summer.
Arrested 475Plants destroyed 557,276DEA raids Palm Springs dispensary twice in a month
Federal agents and Palm Springs police raided the Palm Springs Caregivers medical marijuana dispensary on 4 October and again on 2 November 2006, seizing cannabis, edibles and cash. No one was arrested in either raid, and the investigation continued.
Federal agents raid Torrance dispensary; four charged, licence revoked
Federal agents raided the Green Cross dispensary in Torrance on 19 October 2006, seizing about 70 pounds of marijuana, 100 plants, a shotgun and cash. Four men who came to sell to the co-op were jailed and charged; the city revoked the dispensary's business licence on 31 October.
Arrested 4Charged 4Cannabis 40.82 kgDEA raids New Remedies dispensary and Bay Area sites
Nearly two dozen DEA agents raided the New Remedies dispensary on Mission Street in San Francisco on 3 October 2006 with at least half a dozen related sites, seizing medicine and making more than a dozen arrests. The sweep was the third medical-marijuana enforcement action in California that week.
DEA raids Van Nuys dispensary without a warrant; no arrests made
DEA agents raided the Trichome Healing Caregivers dispensary in Van Nuys on 30 August 2006 after an undercover agent's cover was blown, holding staff for 12 hours while a judge issued a warrant. Agents seized marijuana, cash, computers and surveillance tapes; no one was arrested or charged.
DEA and police raid 13 medical marijuana dispensaries in San Diego
DEA agents with San Diego police and sheriff's deputies raided 13 medical marijuana dispensaries on 6 July 2006, unsealed federal indictments against three outlets and charged owners; the county later put July arrests at ten.
Arrested 10DEA and Sacramento police raid Capitol Alternatives dispensary
DEA agents with Sacramento police raided the Capitol Alternatives medical marijuana dispensary at 2020 16th Street on 19 April 2006, after officers searched an operator's home the same morning. No one was arrested or charged, and the club reopened the next day at another location.
DEA raids Emeryville and Oakland warehouses in pot-candy crackdown
DEA agents served five federal search warrants on 16 March 2006 at warehouses in Emeryville and Oakland and a home in Lafayette, arresting Kenneth Affolter and eleven others. Agents seized four indoor marijuana grows with thousands of plants, three weapons and hundreds of pot-laced candies and drinks made by his Beyond Bomb company.
Arrested 12Charged 12DEA and Berkeley police seize 5,800 cannabis plants in East Bay grows
Berkeley police and the DEA Oakland office said searches on 15 March 2006 and the following week dismantled four indoor cannabis grows in Berkeley, Oakland, Castro Valley, Brentwood and Antioch, seizing more than 5,800 plants, about 117 pounds of processed marijuana, 12 guns and roughly $220,000 cash, with seven men charged federally.
Arrested 7Plants destroyed 5,800Cannabis 53.07 kgWashington seized a record 135,323 marijuana plants in 2005
Washington law enforcement seized a record 135,323 marijuana plants in 2005, which the State Patrol valued at $270 million, ranking the illegal crop as the state's No. 8 agricultural commodity ahead of sweet cherries.
Plants destroyed 135,323Two tons of marijuana seized in record Tijuana-Otay Mesa tunnel
US and Mexican agents entered a 2,400-foot lit and ventilated tunnel from a warehouse near Tijuana airport to Otay Mesa on 25 January 2006, seizing two tons of marijuana on the Mexican side and 200 pounds on the US side. No arrests were reported in what was then the longest cross-border tunnel in US history.
Cannabis 1.90509 tTacoma man jailed 15 years for ferris-wheel grow operation
Chad Robert Latham, 30, was sentenced in Tacoma on 18 January 2006 to 15 years in federal prison for a hydroponic grow operation built around eight ferris-wheel machines of his own design. Police seized 2,083 plants when they caught him moving the operation in March 2004.
Prison 15 yearsDEA and police raid 13 medical marijuana dispensaries in San Diego
Federal agents with state and local police raided 13 San Diego-area medical marijuana dispensaries on 12 December 2005, seizing 50 pounds of marijuana plus records and computers; one man was arrested at a dispensary and three others on outstanding warrants.
Arrested 4Cannabis 22.68 kgCalifornia CAMP eradicated 1,134,692 cannabis plants in the 2005 season
Attorney General Bill Lockyer said the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting eradicated a record 1,134,692 illegally grown plants in 237 raids across 31 counties during the 2005 season, with 42 arrests and 76 weapons seized; the department valued the crop at more than $4.5 billion.
Arrested 42Plants destroyed 1,134,692Deaths 1Over 20,000 marijuana plants eradicated in Coconino National Forest
Federal and Arizona task-force officers eradicated more than 20,000 marijuana plants in the Coconino National Forest north of Strawberry in mid-August 2005, one of three linked grows in the area since July; four Mexican nationals were charged after the takedown.
Arrested 4Plants destroyed 20,000Genesis dispensary founder Robert Schmidt sentenced to 41 months in prison
Robert "Duke" Schmidt, who ran the Genesis 1:29 medical marijuana dispensary from his Petaluma home, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison on 7 July 2005 after pleading guilty to cultivating and possessing 265 kg of marijuana. DEA agents had raided his home and a leased garden in Sebastopol in September 2002.
Arrested 1Cannabis 265 kgPrison 41 monthsFederal agents raid three San Francisco dispensaries in Operation Urban Harvest
DEA and IRS agents raided three San Francisco medical marijuana dispensaries and 23 other locations on 22 June 2005 in Operation Urban Harvest, hauling away over 9,000 plants and arresting 15 people in what prosecutors called a trafficking and money-laundering conspiracy fronted by the clubs.
Arrested 15Charged 21Plants destroyed 9,00029,000 marijuana plants seized in statewide Green Harvest sweep
Federal, state and county officers seized about 29,000 marijuana plants across Hawaii in the 10-day Operation Green Harvest sweep ending 9 June 2005, plus 36 pounds of processed marijuana, arresting six people. A single Molokai estate held about 10,000 plants, and officials valued the haul at about $29 million.
Arrested 6DEA eradicates 65,000-plant grow on Yakama Nation land, three held
DEA-led teams eradicated more than 65,000 cannabis plants from three fields on Yakama Nation land near Satus Pass on 26-30 August 2004, a haul valued at about $35 million. Three men from Jalisco, Mexico, hired as gardeners at $100 a day, were apprehended at the site and jailed pending federal court.
Arrested 3Plants destroyed 65,000Four alleged ringleaders arrested in Ventura pot case
Federal and county agents arrested four alleged ringleaders of a Ventura County marijuana ring on 29 October 2003, capping an investigation begun in March 2000 that produced 16 arrests and seized two tons of marijuana. Investigators said the ring moved Mexican-grown cannabis nationwide.
Arrested 16Cannabis 1.814 tNine arrested as DEA and Nassau police raid Long Island marijuana network
On 7 October 2003 DEA and Nassau County detectives executed 18 search warrants across Nassau and Suffolk, arresting nine people and seizing about 175 pounds of marijuana, $700,000 in cash, five vehicles and 17 handguns from a distribution ring centred on Oyster Bay.
Arrested 9Cannabis 79.38 kg6,000 marijuana plants burned in a Cook County forest preserve
Federal, state and county officers cut down and burned about 6,000 marijuana plants in six hidden plots in the Cap Sauer's Holdings forest preserve near Palos Park on 17 September 2003. No one was arrested that day.
Arrested 0Plants destroyed 6,000Up to 80,000 wild cannabis plants pulled in St. Lawrence County sweep
A county drug task force with DEA agents, state police and National Guard troops harvested and destroyed between 75,000 and 80,000 cannabis plants across northern St. Lawrence County on 10 September 2003. The sheriff could not say whether the plants were sown or growing wild, and no arrests were made.
Plants destroyed 80,000Big Island police destroy 9,195 marijuana plants in five-day sweep
Big Island police destroyed 8,092 marijuana plants in a five-day eradication sweep across Hamakua, Puna and Hilo ending 19 July 2003, and seized 1,103 more at a Mountain View home; no arrests were made in either action.
Plants destroyed 9,195Ed Rosenthal gets one day in jail for Oakland medical grow
Federal judge Charles Breyer sentenced Oakland grower Ed Rosenthal to a single day in prison and a $1,000 fine on 4 June 2003 for felony marijuana cultivation for the city's medical program. The sentence was the most lenient the law allowed.
Prison 1 dayFine USD 1,0009,430 marijuana plants seized in weeklong Oahu Green Harvest sweep
Honolulu police with state, county and federal partners seized 9,430 marijuana plants on Oahu public lands in a five-day Green Harvest sweep ending 13 September 2002. Most of the crop stood on remote state land in mountainous areas. No arrests were reported.
Plants destroyed 9,430DEA destroys 167-plant hospice garden in Santa Cruz raid
About thirty DEA agents raided the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana garden near Davenport on 5 September 2002, arresting founders Valerie and Mike Corral and chainsawing 167 plants grown for the sick and dying.
Arrested 2Plants destroyed 167DEA raids Santa Rosa Aiko Compassion Center and arrests two
Federal agents searched the Aiko Compassion Center and a second Santa Rosa address on 29 May 2002, arresting two people and seizing marijuana, cash, a car and a weapon in a case the DEA said targeted trafficking rather than legitimate medical use.
Arrested 22,973 marijuana plants seized in Big Island Counter-Cannabis sweep
Big Island police with the DEA and the Hawaii Army National Guard seized 2,973 marijuana plants in a three-day Counter-Cannabis sweep of Hilo, Puna and South Kohala ending 22 May 2002. The plants ranged from seedlings to five feet tall. No arrests were reported.
Plants destroyed 2,973DEA raids San Francisco medical club and Bay Area grows, arresting four
DEA agents raided the Sixth Street Harm Reduction Center in San Francisco and seven other Bay Area locations on 12 February 2002, seizing 8,135 cannabis plants and arresting four men in an investigation the agency tied to a British Columbia trafficking pipeline.
Arrested 4Plants destroyed 8,135DEA raids Los Angeles cannabis cooperative serving 960 patients
DEA agents raided the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center in West Hollywood on 25 October 2001, seizing 400 plants and the medical records of some 3,000 patients; no one was arrested as a federal offensive against California's buyers' clubs began.
Arrested 0Plants destroyed 400DEA uproots 273 medical marijuana plants at Lockwood Valley ranch
About two dozen DEA investigators with Ventura County deputies raided growers Lynn and Judy Osburn's Lockwood Valley ranch on 28 September 2001, pulling up 273 marijuana plants bound for a Los Angeles buyers' club. No one was arrested.
Arrested 0Plants destroyed 273DEA raids Cool medical marijuana clinic, seizing plants and patient files
DEA agents raided the California Medical Research Center in Cool and its directors' nearby home on 28 September 2001, destroying 32 cannabis plants and seizing thousands of patient records in the first federal raid on a California medical marijuana facility.
Plants destroyed 32Cannabis 9.07 kg14,000 pounds of marijuana seized from a truck in Bolingbrook in record haul
Illinois State Police found nearly 14,000 pounds of marijuana hidden behind pallets of hot peppers in a semi-trailer at a Bolingbrook truck stop in March 2001. The agency called it a national inland record for a motor-vehicle seizure, valued at about $20 million.
Cannabis 6.35029 t11 indoor grows raided in Humboldt and Mendocino in Emerald Triangle sweep
More than 100 local, state and federal agents raided 11 indoor marijuana operations across southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties on 6 March 2001 in the two-year Operation Emerald Triangle investigation. Follow-up searches brought the totals to 18 sites, more than 30,000 plants and four arrests.
Arrested 4Plants destroyed 30,000Cash confiscated USD 206,000Medical marijuana author dies awaiting federal sentencing
Best-selling author and medical marijuana activist Peter McWilliams, 50, was found dead at his Los Angeles home on 14 June 2000, two months before sentencing on federal marijuana charges. Barred from a medical-necessity defence and from using marijuana on bail, he choked on his own vomit after years of using cannabis against AIDS-medication nausea.
Charged 2Plants destroyed 6,000Deaths 1Operation Green Air arrests 101 people in FedEx marijuana smuggling ring
The DEA said an 18-month investigation ended on 13 April 2000 with more than 100 arrests in a ring that bribed FedEx employees to move Mexican marijuana nationwide; agents reported seizing 121 tons of cannabis in the case plus guns and millions of dollars in cash.
Arrested 101Cannabis 121 tOperation Conquistador seizes 362.5 tonnes of cannabis in 26-country sweep
A 17-day operation across the Caribbean and Latin America ended on 26 March 2000 with 362.5 metric tons of marijuana seized and 2,331 arrests, the DEA announced. Run from San Juan, it joined counter-drug agencies from 26 countries against trafficking organizations.
Arrested 2,331Cannabis 362.5 t