California county shutters record illegal grow with 63,000 marijuana plants

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Authorities in the famed wine country of Sonoma County, California, shut down the largest illegal marijuana grow operation in the county’s history, seizing roughly 63,000 unlicensed cannabis plants.

County inspectors with the Permit and Resource Management Department on Aug. 28 came across five properties in south Santa Rosa that held a total of 63,241 illegal MJ plants.

The largest illegal grow previously found in Sonoma County had roughly 13,000 marijuana plants.

In 2019 alone, county officials have responded to 195 complaints of unlicensed commercial cannabis activity and have seized about 161,000 illegal marijuana plants.

Large unlicensed cannabis grows have been eradicated all over California this year, including perhaps the largest instance in Santa Barbara County, where 20 tons of unlicensed marijuana were seized by local officials in June.

For more on the Sonoma County enforcement, click here.