Riverside 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.
🇺🇸 Anza Valley, Riverside County · California, United States
About 700 law enforcement officers served search warrants at more than 118 illegal marijuana grow locations across the 265 square miles of the Anza Valley on 5 June 2019.[1][2]The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department led the operation with more than a dozen allied agencies, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Army National Guard and state wildlife wardens, after homicides, thefts, robberies, kidnappings and utility thefts linked to illegal grows.[1]
Officers seized 140,877 marijuana plants, which the sheriff put at a street value of $189 million, along with 3,037 pounds (about 1,378 kg) of processed marijuana, 17 rifles, 10 handguns and 70 tons of plant waste.[1][2]Eight people were arrested on cultivation and conspiracy charges.[1][2]
Photos and video
Officers photographed during the 5 June 2019 Anza Valley operationPhoto details
California's Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force seized or destroyed 55,308 pounds of illicit cannabis and eradicated 108,226 plants between July and September 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom's office said. The quarter's operations across nine counties led to 14 arrests, nine firearms and $29,215 in cash, and brought the state's nine-month total to more than $230 million in cannabis.
Arrested 14Plants destroyed 108,226Cannabis 25.0873 t
Humboldt County sheriff's deputies eradicated about 3,102 cannabis plants and destroyed about 36 pounds of processed cannabis at two unlicensed grows near Alderpoint and Garberville on 5 and 6 October 2026. No arrests were made and the cases were sent to the District Attorney for review.
On 25 September 2026 New Mexico's Regulation and Licensing Department Enforcement Bureau and the Organized Crime Commission raided 102 Howell Road in Estancia, Torrance County, seizing and destroying about 6,300 mature cannabis plants in 21 greenhouses weighing an estimated 21,000 pounds. The case remains open for prosecution.
On 16 September 2026 U.S. Forest Service officers, Glenn County’s Major Crimes Task Force and a Forest Service helicopter team eradicated about 700 cannabis plants from an illegal grow in remote Mendocino National Forest. No arrests were reported.
