Siskiyou County, California seizes almost 20K illegal marijuana plants

In the past month and a half, officials in one California county – assisted by members of the Army National Guard – have served multiple search warrants and seized nearly 20,000 illegal marijuana plants.

It’s a reminder that the state’s ongoing crackdown continues against an unlicensed cannabis market that is undermining legal operations.

The raids all took place in Siskiyou County on the Oregon border in Northern California, including warrants being served on at least five different properties since June 14, according to Medford, Oregon, TV station KTVL.

The enforcement action also resulted in the arrests of two people for growing illegally and related charges.

The team has seized a total of 19,088 illegal plants, in part because the county has a ban on all outdoor cannabis grows. Only small indoor medical grows with a maximum of 12 plants are allowed.

The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office helped execute the warrants, along with troops from the California National Guard’s Counterdrug Task Force.

California’s governor vowed in February to deploy the California National Guard in the state’s fight against illegal growers, but that enforcement has been on hold while awaiting funding.