Huge illegal hidden marijuana farm removed from national park in Cali

An illegal marijuana growing operation was discovered and removed from protected national park land in California.

The National Park Service (NPS) noted that law enforcement rangers targeted the cultivation site on approximately a 13-acre area in Sequoia National Park last week, removing a staggering “2,377 full-grown marijuana plants and approximately 2,000 pounds of trash and infrastructure.”

A semi-automatic pistol was also found at the site, as well as a hazardous chemical, Methamidophos, a highly toxic insecticide that has been banned in the U.S. since 2009.

(Video Credit: KTVN 2 News, Nevada)

“Law enforcement rangers detected and raided this cultivation site in 2024, but the site was not rehabilitated until this year due to the presence of hazardous chemicals. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing,” the NPS said in a press release, noting that rangers worked with special agents from the Bureau of Land Management in the operation.

“For almost two decades, well-organized drug-trafficking organizations have been operating large-scale cultivation operations in and around Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. These cultivation sites cause major damage to the parks’ natural resources and are a threat to public and staff safety,” the press release stated. “ In the last 20 years, nearly 300,000 plants with a value of almost $850 million have been eradicated in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.”

Rangers documented that they found evidence of poaching in the area and a “Significant clearing of natural vegetation.”

The natural flow of water from a nearby creek was reportedly diverted, and there was evidence of irrigation lines being installed. Large pits appeared to have been constructed to store water from the creek nearby. In addition, officials observed nearly two miles of illegal trails and terraces dug into the hillside to plant marijuana.

Campsites, kitchen areas, and cultivation sites were discovered and removed by officials.

“Large marijuana cultivation sites can have major impacts on the Central Valley. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, a single marijuana plant uses six to eight gallons of water a day that would otherwise nurture wildlife and vegetation,” the NPS press release stated.

“In addition, water for personal use (drinking, bathing, cooking, etc.) and for crop irrigation travels from the mountains within Sequoia National Park to areas of the Central Valley. Runoff from large cultivation sites may be tainted due to the large variety of pesticides that are used in growing marijuana,” the release noted.