California reports record illegal cannabis seizures in 2025 alone

Sacramento, California – California officials say a coordinated, statewide crackdown on illegal cannabis has led to historic enforcement results, removing massive amounts of unregulated products from circulation while targeting crimes tied to environmental harm, labor abuse, and public safety risks.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced that state officers have now seized and destroyed more than $1.2 billion in illicit cannabis products through the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force, also known as UCETF. Officials said the effort highlights California’s ongoing push to protect the legal cannabis market and hold illegal operators accountable.

The announcement shows that $609 million worth of illegal cannabis was seized in 2025 alone, marking an 18-fold increase since 2022, when UCETF was first established.

Coordinated enforcement across California

UCETF was created in 2022 to bring together state, local, and federal agencies under a single enforcement strategy. Since its launch, the task force has seized and destroyed more than 757,000 pounds of illicit cannabis, carried out over 670 search warrant operations in 36 counties, eradicated more than 1 million cannabis plants, made 75 arrests, and confiscated over $2.5 million in cash and 230 firearms.

“California is making historic strides in dismantling the illicit cannabis market. This success is a testament to strong partnerships and our commitment to protect our environment, ensure public safety, and safeguard the legal cannabis industry from those who think the law doesn’t apply to them,” Governor Gavin Newsom said.

UCETF is co-chaired by the Department of Cannabis Control and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which officials say has strengthened cooperation across agencies with very different areas of expertise.

2025 enforcement results and major operations

In 2025, enforcement teams carried out 48 major operations across 23 counties, executing more than 250 search warrants with help from over 60 partner agencies. These actions led to the seizure and destruction of 188 tons of illegal cannabis, valued at more than $600 million.

The counties with the highest seizure values last year were Los Angeles, Alameda, Monterey, Kern, and Tulare, with each county seeing tens of thousands of pounds of illegal cannabis removed.

Officials said enforcement actions often uncovered additional crimes beyond illegal cannabis activity, including the use of banned pesticides, labor trafficking, wage theft, water violations, and Fish and Game Code violations. These offenses, authorities said, pose serious threats to workers, communities, and California’s environment.

Two of the largest operations took place in May and July. In May, officers led a sweeping effort across Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties, involving more than 200 officers from 15 agencies. That operation resulted in the seizure of 105,700 cannabis plants and more than 22,000 pounds of processed cannabis, valued at over $123 million.

In July, UCETF partnered with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department to dismantle a large cultivation site in Monterey County suspected of using dangerous pesticides. In the weeks that followed, officials destroyed 38 tons of illicit cannabis worth more than $125 million.

Another major action occurred in August, when investigators targeted unlicensed retail and distribution sites in Los Angeles County. That effort led to the seizure of 18,117 pounds of cannabis products, along with gold bars and more than $1.1 million in cash.

“Tackling the illicit cannabis market in a state the size of California requires long-term coordination and commitment from many dedicated partners,” said CDFW interim Director Valerie Termini. “But it’s gratifying to see that in 2025 alone, UCETF operations prevented such a large amount of illicit cannabis — products grown and sold without regard for the environment or public health and safety — from entering the supply chain.”

State leaders said UCETF’s whole-of-government approach will remain central as California continues to enforce cannabis laws, protect legal businesses, and reduce the risks tied to illegal operations across the state.