China Ties Suspected in Sprawling Illegal Marijuana Operations in Northern California as Congressman Urges FBI Probe
Republican Congressman James Gallagher has urged FBI Director Kash Patel to crack down on sprawling illegal marijuana cultivation in Northern California. He made the call in a letter sent on Monday demanding stronger enforcement.
Gallagher sent the letter after the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office reported extensive illegal cultivation and illegal immigrant labour in the region. The congressman said the operations have harmed local ranchers, depleted groundwater supplies and raised concerns about potential financing from Chinese organised-crime networks.
He wrote, 'Entire rural properties are now covered with rows of makeshift, plastic-covered greenhouses, known as hoop houses, where marijuana is cultivated using groundwater hauled in from nearby wells.'
He continued, 'The consequences have been devastating, with residents facing depleted water supplies and threats to their safety, while local farmers and ranchers contend with increased competition for groundwater and the risk of contamination to their agricultural land.'
The letter cited estimates of as many as 7,000 illegal growers in the Mount Shasta Vista subdivision alone. Gallagher said illegal cultivation has also expanded onto federal lands, including the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
In 2025, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office reported eradicating 332,871 illegal marijuana plants and seizing 54,070 pounds of processed marijuana. Those figures show how large illegal cultivation has become in the area.
Gallagher also raised questions about who finances and controls the operations. He wrote, 'In Siskiyou County, investigators have traced cultivation properties to individuals residing outside the county, while those managing the grows often have no apparent ownership interest.'
He said, 'These arrangements raise serious concerns about who is actually financing and controlling these operations and whether the ownership arrangements are intended to conceal their involvement.'
Gallagher pointed to a 2018 federal investigation in California involving an illegal marijuana growing operation that authorities said was funded with money from China. That investigation led to federal forfeiture actions involving more than 100 properties in the Sacramento area, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California.
The letter also cited environmental damage linked to the illegal grow sites, including the use of toxic pesticides. Gallagher wrote that widespread use of highly toxic pesticides, including chemicals banned in the United States and products bearing Chinese-language labels suspected of being illegally imported, compounds the concerns.
Siskiyou County investigators have identified at least 27 pesticide compounds at illegal grow sites, according to county findings. Officials have warned that the chemicals could pose risks to residents, law enforcement officers and first responders.
How the FBI responds to the call, and whether a new major operation begins against illegal cultivation in rural Northern California, remains to be seen.
