Nevada County Searches 21 Cannabis Grows, Arrests Nine

NEVADA COUNTY — Nevada County sheriff’s detectives and state wildlife officers searched 21 properties suspected of illegal cannabis cultivation in June and July, destroying 4,989 plants, seizing 1,801.4 pounds of processed cannabis, and arresting nine people. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Office announced the results on Tuesday, August 11. It is the widest round of illegal cannabis enforcement the Sheriff’s Office and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have reported in the past two years.

Eleven of the properties were in Nevada City, eight were in Grass Valley, one was in Penn Valley, and one was in North San Juan. The searches were carried out by the Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Unit alongside wildlife officers. According to the Sheriff’s Office, some of the sites showed water pollution, trash, environmental damage, dangerous pesticides, and evidence of other drug activity.

At two of the Nevada City properties, detectives found illicit drugs alongside the cannabis, including psilocybin mushrooms, tablets of lysergic acid diethylamide, and a white powder suspected to be methamphetamine. Several firearms were found at one Nevada City property, both legal and illegal, one of them loaded. All of the drugs, drug paraphernalia, firearms, and related items were seized.

The North San Juan property was using illegal pesticides imported from China, which were also seized. It was the second consecutive year the joint operation turned up banned Chinese pesticides in the county. In July and August of 2025, officers seized what the Sheriff’s Office described as illegal and highly toxic Chinese pesticides at a Grass Valley grow, believed to contain imidacloprid, isoprocarb, pyridaben, and cypermethrin.

Nine people were arrested at six of the 21 properties, and the charges varied by individual. They included illegal cannabis cultivation; cultivation that also violated the state Water Code or the Fish and Game Code; possession of illegal cannabis for sale; possession of a controlled substance; renting or using a space to manufacture, store, or distribute a controlled substance; evading the state cannabis excise tax; committing a felony while armed with a deadly weapon; and conspiracy to commit a crime.

The Sheriff’s Office said the warrants were part of an ongoing partnership with the Department of Fish and Wildlife that concentrates on illegal grows suspected of polluting California waterways and watersheds. Agencies that assisted with the searches or the underlying investigations included the state Eradication and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis Task Force, the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office, the State Water Resources Control Board, Nevada County Cannabis Compliance, and Nevada County Environmental Health.

The Sheriff’s Office runs cannabis enforcement every year in step with the growing season, announcing results in batches as the summer and fall progress. In April and May, the same two agencies served four warrants, three in Grass Valley and one in Nevada City, and eradicated 14,619 plants, 94 pounds of processed cannabis, and 1.3 pounds of psychedelic mushrooms. Two firearms were seized, and two people were arrested.

What the June and July searches turned up looked different from the spring. The 21 properties produced roughly a third as many plants as the four searched in April and May, but nearly 20 times as much processed cannabis.

Last year followed a similar rhythm across three announcements. Warrants at six properties in May of 2025 produced 8,964 plants, 92 pounds of processed cannabis, 10 firearms, and two arrests. Sixteen more properties were searched in July and August, yielding 17,345 plants and 917.7 pounds of processed cannabis, with two people arrested and two cited. Eight properties searched in September and October produced 5,059 plants and 1,514.2 pounds of processed cannabis, one arrest, one citation, and charges filed against five other people.

The county recently expanded the resources devoted to the effort. On July 1, the Sheriff’s Office announced a $4.5 million, five-year grant through the California Board of State and Community Corrections under the Proposition 64 Public Health and Safety Grant Program. The award creates an Enforcement and Prevention of Illicit Cannabis team in Nevada County and pays for two detectives, a crime analyst, a parks public safety and youth prevention coordinator, three enforcement vehicles, investigative software, digital forensic tools, and training.

“Illicit cannabis cultivation remains a significant threat to public safety, our natural resources, and the quality of life in Nevada County,” Sheriff Shannan Moon said in announcing the grant. “This funding will allow us to strengthen our investigative capabilities, better protect our watersheds and public lands, and invest in prevention efforts that help keep our youth safe.”

The Sheriff’s Office said in the same announcement that the county’s remote terrain, extensive river watersheds, and proximity to public lands have made it a target for illegal cultivation. From 2023 through 2025, the office averaged 42 illicit cannabis investigations a year, eradicating roughly 66,000 plants and seizing more than 7,300 pounds of processed cannabis annually. The office also reported a 16 percent increase in reported violent crime in the county in 2025, with several investigations involving cannabis-related offenses.

The state task force that assisted with the June and July searches is the successor to the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, which began in 1983. Led by the California Department of Justice, it works with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, federal land agencies, the California National Guard, and local departments. In 2025, the task force reported eradicating 728,458 illegally cultivated plants and making 204 arrests across 34 counties.

Residents who suspect illegal cannabis activity or other drug activity can call the Special Investigation Unit at 530-265-1471. Tips may also be submitted anonymously through the crime tip form on the Sheriff’s Office website.