China ties suspected in sprawling California pot operations as GOP urges FBI probe

FIRST ON FOX: Rep.James Gallagher, R-Calif., urged FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday to crack down on illegal marijuana cultivation operations in Northern California.Gallagher sent the letter after the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office reported extensive illegal cultivation and illegal immigrant labor in the region.

The congressman said the operations have harmed local ranchers, depleted groundwater supplies and raised concerns about potential financing from Chinese organized-crime networks."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," Gallagher wrote in a letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. LEGALIZING POT DIDN’T KILL THE BLACK MARKET, IT CREATED A MARKETING DEPARTMENT FOR ITAuthorities executed 26 search warrants at illegal cannabis grow sites in Tulare, Kern and Los Angeles counties during California's largest enforcement operation of the spring.(California Governor’s Office)"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," he continued.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.GEORGIA SHERIFF SEIZES 1,800 POUNDS OF SUSPECTED BLACK-MARKET MARIJUANA SHIPPED FROM CALIFORNIAIn 2025, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office reported eradicating 332,871 illegal marijuana plants and seizing 54,070 pounds of processed marijuana.Rep.James Gallagher, R-Calif., left, speaks with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., after a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony in the U.S.

Capitol Building on June 10, 2026, in Washingto...