California authorities seized $609 million in illegal cannabis in 2025
California agencies seized and destroyed 377,000 pounds of illegal cannabis last year, worth about $609 million, as part of a yearslong multiagency effort to crack down on illicit sales.
Authorities have touted the operation over the past few years, as a means of preventing unregulated cannabis from reaching consumers and protecting licensed operators from unfair competition. Legal cannabis sellers have long complained that — in addition to declining sales and what they describe as excessive taxes — they are undercut by their illicit competitors in the industry, who avoid the regulatory and tax burden required for legal sales and can sell for lower prices.
In a news release, the governor’s office said investigators often found additional criminal and civil violations, like use of banned pesticides, labor trafficking and wage theft.
Interim California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Valerie Termini said in a news release that the agencies blocked cannabis, “grown and sold without regard for the environment or public health and safety” from entering the supply chain.
Since the initiative began in 2022, authorities have seized more than 757,000 pounds in total, valued at about $1.2 billion.
