The California Highway Patrol’s Northern Division Warrant Service Team served a search warrant on Monday 9 November 2026 at a residential property in the 400 block of Bear Canyon Road, northwest of Garberville in Humboldt County.[1] The CHP said the warrant was served on behalf of allied agencies in a multi-agency narcotics investigation and that it was not leading the investigation.[1] The CHP initially identified itself as the lead agency and then withdrew that, saying its role was limited to warrant service.[2] Participating agencies included the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and several unnamed local police departments from across California.[1] The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said it was not involved in the operation.[1]
The CHP did not clarify whether the investigation specifically targeted cannabis, involved cannabis alongside other drugs, or focused on other narcotics.[1] The CHP has not released the specific narcotics involved, whether arrests were made, or the identities of the additional police departments.[1] Officers were seen shovelling what appeared to be cannabis material from totes into holes on the property.[1] Asked whether cannabis was involved, the CHP confirmed only that it classifies cannabis as a narcotic and would not confirm that the material seen was cannabis.[1]
At least five marked CHP vehicles and four unmarked vehicles were at the property on Monday morning, and the journalist reported seeing officers put what appeared to be cannabis flower or trim into holes in the ground.[2] The CHP said trenches on the property predated the operation and were part of septic system repairs, and that equipment at the scene belonged to the property owner.[1] The CHP Public Information Unit said anything discovered during the search was still being investigated and referred further questions to its federal partners.[1]
