Illegal cannabis plants were allegedly hiding among raspberry bushes.

A massive illegal cannabis operation was hidden on what appeared to be a berry farm in North Monterey County, alleges Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni.  

Prosecutors describe raspberry bushes planted along the perimeter of hoop houses to conceal the true nature of the operation that was taking place in unincorporated Salinas for a few years before the combined forces of the District Attorney’s Office’s Bureau of Investigations, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Monterey County Department of Public Works and other agencies sent out their shared enforcement unit made a move.

“I thought that was really clever,” Deputy District Attorney Gregory Peterson says about the berry idea. “But the smell, and a couple of law enforcement techniques helped.”  

Over 14,000 unpermitted cannabis plants and over 15 tons of processed cannabis were found and destroyed. 

"I'm not sure if people understand how massive that was," Peterson adds. That’s about 30,000 pounds, with each pound worth between $500 and $800. If you were to ship it to the East Coast, you could make $1,000 per pound, Peterson says.

“There are a few reasons why we have to destroy things,” Peterson says when asked why waste so much of a product that theoretically could be taxed and resold. “First, we don’t have a mechanism to sell anything. Also, what we find is not packaged or anything.”

Peterson notes that all cannabis available legally in California is monitored within a strict state metric system, and each seed and clone can be traced from the farm to the point of sale. That is not the case with illegal growth, which is also, Peterson says, often a pretty bad product. In addition, the pesticides used at illegal cultivation sites like this can be extremely destructive to the environment.  

The licensed cannabis industry in Monterey County is currently experiencing economic hardship caused in part by a substantial decrease in the market value of processed cannabis. One reason is the supply from the illegal industry. These products are not tested for consumer safety, they are not taxed for public revenues, and they are generally processed using illegal labor practices. The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office emphasizes that beyond cracking down on illegal cannabis, they are committed to ensuring fair competition in the licensed cannabis industry. 

“Unfortunately, it still pays off,” Peterson says about illegal cannabis production in California. “We are trying to make it not pay off.”

The investigation into this case is ongoing. More information should be available soon.