REDDING, Calif. — U.S. Representative James Gallagher (CA-01) is calling for an immediate federal crackdown on thousands of illegal marijuana grows operating across Shasta and Siskiyou counties.

In a press release issued Monday, Gallagher announced he has sent a formal letter to FBI Director Kash Patel requesting a coordinated federal investigation into the transnational criminal organizations financing black-market cannabis operations in Northern California.

Specifically, Gallagher is asking the FBI’s Sacramento Field Office and its local Redding Resident Agency to team up with local sheriffs, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to dismantle the networks behind the grows.

Shasta County Law Enforcement Pushes Back

Local law enforcement agencies have spent years battling unpermitted hoop houses and remote trespass grows with limited state support. Shasta County Sheriff Michael L. Johnson voiced strong backing for federal intervention.

“Shasta County stands resolute with our neighbors in Siskiyou County in sending a clear message that illegal marijuana operations and the criminal enterprises that fund them are not welcome and will be shut down,” Sheriff Johnson said in the release. “We look forward to collaborating with the FBI to ensure private property rights are enforced and our natural resources in Northern California are safeguarded.”

Despite strained local resources, the Sheriff’s Office has aggressively targeted illicit operations. During a single multi-day eradication sweep across Shasta County, the Sheriff’s Marijuana Eradication Team (MET)—working alongside the Anderson Police Department, the Shasta Interagency Narcotics Task Force (SINTF), and the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office—served 23 search warrants across 29 parcels. According to a Shasta County Sheriff’s Office video update, deputies eradicated 12,889 illegal plants, seized over 1,900 pounds of processed marijuana, confiscated 13 firearms, and recovered $50,000 in cash.

Just north of the county line, the problem is even larger. A Siskiyou County Civil Grand Jury report previously estimated roughly 5,000 large-scale illegal grow sites operating across Siskiyou County alone. In 2025, Siskiyou authorities eradicated more than 332,000 plants and seized over 54,000 pounds of processed cannabis.

Toxic Pesticides and Public Land Destruction

Beyond the spike in rural crime and depleted groundwater, Gallagher’s letter highlights the severe environmental danger posed by banned, foreign-manufactured pesticides found at North State grow sites.

Many containers recovered by deputies feature Chinese-language labels and contain lethal, restricted chemicals like Carbofuran. According to U.S. Forest Service research on illegal cannabis grows, growers use these banned poisons to kill off wildlife near irrigation lines, leaving behind toxic "ecological land mines" that contaminate waterways and kill native predators long after a site is abandoned.

Public lands in Shasta County have also taken a heavy hit. Federal prosecutors have handled numerous cases involving illegal marijuana cultivation in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, where cartel-linked growers clear timber, divert streams with miles of plastic piping, and dump thousands of pounds of trash and chemical fertilizers.

Following a local state of emergency declaration in Siskiyou County over these hazardous chemicals, EPA Region 9 issued an enforcement directive ordering federal environmental investigators to track down how the banned pesticides are being smuggled into Northern California.

Suspected Foreign Criminal Financing

Gallagher is also urging the FBI to follow the money. Many rural parcels used for illegal grows are purchased through straw buyers by owners living outside the area, bearing strong similarities to Chinese organized crime networks previously uncovered in California.

In his letter, Gallagher pointed to a sweeping U.S. Department of Justice operation in the Eastern District of California, where federal agents seized over 61,000 marijuana plants and filed civil forfeiture actions against more than 100 residential properties financed by wire transfers from China’s Fujian Province.

Gallagher has asked the FBI to brief Congress on its efforts to cut off these foreign funding streams and to explore additional federal funding for local sheriff eradication teams.

Shasta County residents who suspect illegal cannabis cultivation in their neighborhood can find local ordinance information or report tips directly to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Marijuana Eradication Team by emailing shastamet@shastacounty.gov.