Violence Plagues California’s Illicit Cannabis Market, Deals Gone Wrong Prove Deadly

Illegal farming is nothing new to the Golden State, but experts suggest the scale and level of violence has changed.

Firearm seized by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department during raids of illegal cannabis grow sites in Northern California. Courtesy of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department

After six people were found murdered in the California desert last month following a dispute involving illegal marijuana, law enforcement officials across the state are warning of dangers associated with the illicit market.

“It’s not your mom-and-pop shops, it’s all black market, big business, or the cartel organizations, criminal organizations that are doing this,” San Bernardino Sheriff Shannon Dicus told The Epoch Times. “Or we wouldn’t be seeing the murders like [this].”