Nearly $480 million in illicit cannabis seized in California

(FOX40.COM) — Governor Gavin Newsom announced that officials have seized almost 270,000 pounds of illicit cannabis since January on Wednesday. With that, nearly $480 million worth of plants have been eradicated by the Department of Cannabis Control.

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The department has conducted 111 statewide operations this year alongside state, local and federal partners. From these operations, 112 people have been arrested, 52 firearms have been seized and $230,000 in cash has been confiscated.

“Illegal cannabis operations threaten the success of the legal market,” Newsom said.

Newsom established the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force to continue eradicating illegal cannabis across the state.

The governor’s office said cannabis tax revenue channels funding to civil and criminal enforcement activities that reduce the burden on legal businesses. Local jurisdictions are now eligible for grants from the Board of State and Community Corrections to support local efforts against illegal cannabis activity.

“We owe it to our businesses and consumers to take down these bad actors every chance we can,” Newsom said.