Oakland Warehouse Raid Uncovers $37M In Illegal Cannabis, Largest This Year

Officials in Oakland raided a warehouse that apparently contained more than 41,000 cannabis plants and nearly a ton of processed marijuana.

The seized cannabis products were valued at nearly $37 million, ranking it among the biggest cannabis confiscations in the Bay Area this year, according to estimates from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

Janice Mackey, a spokesperson for the CDFW, stated in an email to SFGATE that while nobody was arrested during the raid, several suspects were brought in for questioning. On Sept. 28, upon entering the facility in a West Oakland industrial zone, CDFW officials reported the exact count of the plants as 41,082 and 1,841 pounds of processed cannabis.

Though cannabis has been legal in California for seven years, it is required that businesses obtain the necessary state permits and licenses for commercial cultivation. This specific facility in Oakland, according to Mackey, was operating without the essential cannabis permits.

Thriving Illicit Cannabis Market

David Hafner from California’s Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) said that last year's illegal cannabis sales exceeded $8 billion, overshadowing the $5.4 billion from legal sales. Oakland and its neighboring suburbs frequently encounter such illicit cannabis facilities.

In a report released by the DCC, the agency said it vastly improved enforcement of illicit marijuana operations over the last two years. The agency recorded the confiscation of over $109 million in unlawful cannabis in 2023’s second quarter, more than double the amount seized in the preceding quarter.

Photo courtesy of Pexels