On September 29, 2021, California State Senator Mike McGuire announced via Twitter that the State of California will be providing $1.5 million in funds to the Emerald Counties to “develop a three county regional enforcement campaign to help shut down the worst of the worst illegal cannabis growing operations.”
We spoke with Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall, Trinity County Sheriff Tim Saxon, and Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Samantha Karges who talked with us on behalf of Sheriff Billy Honsal about how these funds will bolster their collective fight against illegal cannabis farms.
Senator McGuire said those enforcement campaigns will focus on “illegal water diversions, operations threatening endangered fish species, environmental degradation, or the presence of organized crime.”
Regarding legacy farmers and small family farmers, Senator McGuire emphasized that “at no time will those who are currently working through the permitting process or those who are already permitted be the focus of the campaign.”
This funding and initiative were designed to “help support those farmers who are and have been doing the right thing” by working to “prop up the regulated market and, in particular, help make our communities safer,” Senator McGuire explained.
Both Sheriff Kendall and Sheriff Saxon agreed that the promised $1.5 million is not an enormous amount of money.
Sheriff Saxon said those funds are “a starting point to address funding shortages that the three of us have been dealing with related to this criminal concern.”
Karges said these incoming funds are “earmarked by the state to cover staffing costs for cannabis enforcement.”
“Trinity County will use these funds to support overtime and per diem costs associated with joint operations with Humboldt and Mendocino Counties to address illegal, unpermitted cannabis operations,” Sheriff Saxon told us.
Sheriff Kendall also described the funds going towards the staffing of cannabis enforcement operations but expressed concern that the current staffing shortage at MCSO could limit the results of the funding. “If we don’t get some personnel, the funding is going to be a moot point,” he told us.
This funding, according to Sheriff Saxon, represents that the “increase in criminal activity associated with illegal cannabis operations in Trinity, Humboldt, and Mendocino have been recognized by the Sheriffs in these Counties for years and their voices have finally been heard.”
He expressed appreciation for Senator McGuire having “listened and supported this funding.”
Sheriff Saxon also saw the funding as an outgrowth of the State of California’s move into the legal cannabis market. “As the State focuses more heavily on the legal cannabis market, it’s important to recognize that illegal operations must be sufficiently addressed to allow that legal market to survive,” he explained.
Karges also was appreciative of Senator McGuire’s advocacy for the Emerald Counties and his recognition of the serious environmental damage being done to the North Coast at the “hands of illegal cannabis cultivators.”
“Just this year, our Marijuana Enforcement Team has observed and documented numerous heinous environmental violations,” Kargas told us. “These violations, coupled with an extreme drought, are devastating our local watersheds.”
Sheriff Matt Kendall said the funding shows that “Senator McGuire is listening to the problems such as numerous homicides, cartel style murders, the problems associated with inner-city or trans-national gangs that have been imported into our rural counties where we have very limited personnel to deal with them.”
As to the common characteristics of the illegal cannabis operations found in the Emerald Triangle, all three pointed to illegal water diversions, pesticides, hazardous waste compromising the health of local wildlife, and illegal poaching.
Sheriff Kendall painted a grim picture of the Mendocino County illegal cannabis culture describing it as “cartel members making [money] hand over fist taking over this county. When people step out of line, they are met with extreme violence.”
“The old mom and pop hippies are packing up and moving because it has become too dangerous to live where they’ve always lived,” Sheriff Kendall said.
He described an illegal cannabis operation MCSO busted in Willits where they found 24 Hmong laborers living in “deplorable conditions.”
All three emphasized this funding will strengthen the long-lasting collaboration between the Mendocino, Humboldt, and Trinity County Sheriff’s Offices to fight these illegal cannabis operations.
Sheriff Saxon said past joint operations have been “limited due to our individual budget constraints for overtime and per diem due to the distances our various staff needs to travel to participate.”
“Our counties are connected from the standpoint that we are rural in nature and we have limited resources,” Sheriff Saxon said and this “new funding stream will be a force-multiplier in helping us increase our efforts. He hopes “that this funding gives us additional opportunities to expand our efforts to work together to reduce the increasing violence and help protect our environment from further damage.”
Karges said HCSO’s Marijuana Enforcement Team has been collaborating with “our neighbors in Mendocino and Trinity for some time” and these funds will “strengthen that support between the three counties, opening up opportunities for more resources to address this issue.”
Sheriff Kendall emphasized that staffing shortages could curtail the efficacy of cannabis enforcement regardless of state funding. He said he would be working with the State of California’s Department of Cannabis Control enforcement department to “get personnel up here as a force multipliers to support our efforts in the Emerald Triangle. If they want [to erradicate] big numbers of illegal plants, come to Mendocino, Humboldt, and Trinity County”
Senator McGuire said on Twitter he was “grateful for the partnership of Sheriff Saxon, Sheriff Honsal, [and] Sheriff Kendall” and saw this funding as a “critical first step – just the beginning of the investment.”
Great news!!
Here is the perfect example of the trickle down effect, but the bottom does not get a drop. notice the time of year that all this money just rolled in. And we all know that if 1.5 sits around for very long, the evaporation rate will increase rapidly. Then we will hear we are broke again next year! Meanwhile the same criminal enterprise continues. STOP YOUR LYING
Get’em boys and girls. Bring a dozer to these grows and level the place. Any greenhouse left standing will be planted in again as soon as you leave.
Regarding that first image. I believe that is the massive illegal grow across from the Covelo/Round Valley refuse transfer facility. They say one could see it from the moon. Yep, it was all torn down. The plants eradicated. Problem is all of the destruction is scattered about over several acres. It’s not been cleaned up last time I was there. It’s in an of itself an environmental disaster. Piles of plastics, piping, containers, and chemicals leaching into the valley aquifer. To see it is to believe it. I cannot begin to describe this incredible eyesore. Whose responsible for cleaning this up??
Time has run out. The illegal grows are out of control. 1.5 million state aide is a token amount for such an enormous problem. Call in the National Guard and US troops. Use all the latest millitary technology and weapons. Clean up these grows. Show these thugs the tax payers and residents mean business.
Amen to that!
We need the national guard for this scale. 1.5 million it’s not enough. Law enforcement will put their lives in danger going up against violent cartel. But it’s a start, I hope we can do more.
Not enough. : (
@j.
It will never be enough. Sadly.
However, Jesus Christ, The real “BOSS” is coming soon and He’s gonna handle it!
Here’s the answer….
Repent! The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! ( From a Sermon preached by Jesus Christ, taken from The Holy Bible, KJV. )
This is a call to action. Prayer and repentance. It’s the only change that can make a difference.
It doesn’t take much time or effort to locate these illegal grows, google earth tells the story. And the number of properties for sale on zillow show the exodus of long time residents. 1.5 million is hardly enough to commit to eradicating the problem, but it’s a start.
Ask Jesus Christ to be The Lord of your life ( and afterlife ?). Grab a Bible. I personally love the King James Version. Read the book of John. Find a Bible ONLY church, attend. Seek out people who clearly love God and Jesus Christ. Be blessed.
The Native Americans were a very spiritual mass of people, centuries ago, …believed strongly in ‘the great spirit’. Did’nt do much for them. They were still methodically exterminated anyway, despite their constant ‘worshipping’. They endured horrible suffering and still do. White folks have no idea and never will. You religious folks may want to be a little more proactive, than just throwin’ up yer hands to Jesus all the time…
There are more illegals here in the Round Valley area than actual US Citizens. How many are connected to the criminal cartels? Who knows? The dead Fishercat!! Poisons. Garbage. Environmental degradation. Murders. The disappeared. How many more excuses for why these huge grows are not eradicated? Destroy the grows and run the perps out of here!!! This has become an emergency. It’s a war. Either fight it or fold. And yes, long time residents are selling and moving away from here because of the criminal elements.
Covelo you’re in my prayers
Thank you. Much appreciated.