California authorities seized 2.2 million illicit cannabis packages – many designed to appeal to children – during a sting operation in downtown Los Angeles’ Toy District.
The operation focused on 11 storefronts where multiple businesses were manufacturing and selling packaging used in the illicit marijuana market, according to a Tuesday news release from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.
Some of the packages confiscated by the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF) – created in 2022 by Newsom – resembled Twinkies and Sweet Tarts.
were marked with the symbol indicating the product is legal in California.
The symbol is designed to create a sense of trust in consumers that the product has been tested and complies with the regulatory standards for safe consumption.
“This packaging provides a thin yet frightening veil of legitimacy for illicit operators,” Nick Maduros, director of the California Department of Cannabis Control, said in a statement.
“It violates the trust of California consumers who believe that the cannabis symbol signifies a certain product standard, and it enables illegal operators to circumvent tax and licensing requirements.”
Meanwhile, the governor’s office said that, since the beginning of the year, the UCETF and associated law enforcement have:
- Seized more than $120 million in illegal marijuana since the beginning of the year.
- Destroyed more than 37 tons of unlicensed cannabis, including 122,914 illegal plants.
- Seized 22 firearms.
The raids are part of the state’s effort to support California’s legal marijuana market.
“The legal cannabis market brings billions of dollars to our state’s economy, helping to sustain California’s position as the fifth-largest economy in the world,” Newsom said in a statement.
“We will not tolerate illegal operations that threaten our economy and the health and well-being of California communities.”
