McGuire details $1.5M in funding to fight "worst" illegal cannabis grows in 3 counties

A total of $1.5 million in state funding will be coming to three North Coast counties to fight what officials are calling the "worst of the worst" illegal cannabis grows. North Coast Sen. Mike McGuire; alongside Mendocino County Supervisor John Haschak and the sheriffs of Trinity, Mendocino, and Humboldt Counties; announced Wednesday that the funding is meant to support enforcement of laws surrounding unpermitted cannabis farms.

McGuire said Wednesday that the Humboldt and Mendocino County Sheriff's Offices will each receive $600-thousand and the Trinity County Sheriff's Office will receive $300-thousand. The funding is supposed to help staff the departments target the sites generating serious environmental and violent crimes.

Humboldt Sheriff William Honsal said during a virtual press conference with reporters that decades ago, illegal marijuana farms were small in nature, but now organized crime operations have taken hold and are abusing the environment.

"We have significant organized crime, drug cartels, and drug trafficking organizations that have really come in to take advantage of this market," Honsal said. "Now they're buying private land all over the county and they don't care about our county, they care about one thing and that's making money. It's greed."

Honsal noted that his office has seen increased rates of human and labor trafficking on these sites in recent years, and that is why serious state funding is needed to combat these grow sites.

McGuire stressed that the year-long enforcement operation will not target legacy and small family farmers that are going through the process of obtaining the necessary permits to cultivate cannabis or already have them.