Officials Remove Thousands of Marijuana Plants in National Park
Authorities have dismantled a large illegal marijuana grow operation hidden deep in California’s Sequoia National Park, removing thousands of plants and nearly a ton of hazardous waste that caused significant environmental damage.
The National Park Service (NPS) announced Thursday that law enforcement rangers and Bureau of Land Management special agents cleared 2,377 mature marijuana plants and roughly 2,000 pounds of trash and equipment from a remote site spanning about 13 acres of protected wilderness.
Crews manually extracted much of the material, with some airlifted out by helicopter. The site, which had clear signs of a sophisticated drug-trafficking operation, is part of an ongoing issue in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Over the past two decades, nearly 300,000 marijuana plants—valued at approximately $850 million—have been eradicated from the two parks.
Although the site was initially discovered and raided in 2024, cleanup was delayed due to the presence of hazardous chemicals. During this year’s cleanup, officials found a semi-automatic pistol and evidence of the banned pesticide Methamidophos, an organophosphate insecticide outlawed in the U.S. since 2009 due to its extreme toxicity to humans, wildlife, and the environment.
Environmental damage at the site included:
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Diversion of a creek and installation of irrigation lines
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Excavation of large pits to store diverted water
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Clearing of native vegetation and terracing of hillsides for planting
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Development of campsites, kitchen areas, and cultivation zones
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Evidence of poaching and the creation of roughly two miles of illegal trails
No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing.
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