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

By Fox News · Fox News

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 IT "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 CALIFORNIA In 2025, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office reported eradicating 332,871 illegal marijuana plants and seizing 54,070 pounds of processed marijuana. FORMER TOP COP WARNS OF LOOPHOLE EXPLOITED BY ILLICIT CHINESE VAPE COMPANIES 'TARGETING OUR YOUTH' Gallagher also raised concerns that Chinese organized-crime networks could be financing or directing some of the operations. "In Siskiyou County, investigators have traced cultivation properties to individuals residing outside the county, while those managing the grows often have no apparent ownership i…