On 16 July 2026, deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Enforcement Team served a search warrant at an illegal cannabis grow in the 200 block of Ware Ranch Road in the Alderpoint area.[1][2] The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Cannabis Control assisted in serving the warrant.[1][2] The sheriff’s office said the property was identified through aerial surveillance and lacked the required county permit and state licence for commercial cultivation.[1][2]
Deputies eradicated about 2,180 growing cannabis plants and 1,199 cannabis clone starts, 3,379 plants in total, and seized and destroyed over 2,300 pounds (about 1,043 kg) of cannabis bud.[1][2] On scene they found substandard living conditions for the people working the site, conditions the office said are often a sign of labour exploitation; no one was present when the warrant was served.[1][2]
Assisting agencies also recorded water diversion, stream alteration and rubbish-dumping violations, carrying civil fines of up to 8,000 dollars a day per violation, or up to 20,000 dollars a day for rubbish in or near a waterway.[1][2] No arrests were made, and the case will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for review.[1][2]
