OAKLAND — More than $20 million worth of illegal cannabis plants were seized at a West Oakland warehouse last week in a combined effort of the California Highway Patrol and the state Department of Cannabis Control, authorities said Tuesday.
No arrests were announced.
In a news release Tuesday, state officials said the CHP was conducting an investigation last week in the South Prescott neighborhood when they discovered a warehouse containing 25,276 illegally cultivated cannabis plants worth an estimated $20,852,700.
The release did not say what kind of investigation was being conducted.
Authorities said that after verifying the operation was unlicensed, the CHP contacted the DCC, which quickly obtained and served a search warrant at the warehouse and removed the plants.
In addition to the illegal plants, the DCC also seized two firearms and several illegal pesticides, the release said. No other details were provided.
“Illicit cannabis cultivation in urban areas is dangerous, as the criminals involved in these operations often carry firearms, use illegal pesticides which damage local water supplies and place consumers and the public at risk,” stated Department of Cannabis Control’s Northern Law Enforcement Commander, Kevin McInerney in the release. “We appreciate the California Highway Patrol’s dedication to many aspects of law enforcement and its ability to quickly notify us of this operation.”
“Every investigation has the potential to uncover a larger, more complex case,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “With our law enforcement partners at the Department of Cannabis Control, we dismantled an illegal operation, turning a small lead into a major breakthrough, further protecting the community and increasing public safety.”
Authorities said that in 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce, co-led by DCC and The Department of Fish and Wildlife, worked with state officials to seize over $534 million in illegal cannabis. Since 2019, officials have seized and destroyed nearly 800 tons, or about 1.6 million pounds, of illegal cannabis worth an estimated retail value of $2.8 billion through over 1,400 operations, including some in the East Bay.
