At least one U.S. citizen was also arrested for impeding law enforcement, the DEA added.
“A DEA-led operation at Thermal California this week targeted three illegal marijuana sites, exposing working and living conditions that were less than favorable,” Chrysanthis said. “In fact, scorching temperatures reached 112 degrees during this operation.”
Several federal and local agencies executed search warrants on the illegal grow operations Wednesday, which covered nearly 790 acres in Thermal, just a few minutes south of Coachella in the inland desert region of Southern California.
The grounds appeared professionally designed with gravel covering the ground, white trailers, and barbed-wire fencing surrounding it.
DEA agents were seen in a second video Wednesday entering a trailer on one of the sites and prying a door open at another trailer with crowbars.
The video showed a room inside the trailer with filthy makeshift beds, a rudimentary bathroom area, and garbage, bottles, and medication scattered throughout.
“These operators were not planning on stopping,” he said. “Instead, we saw evidence of additional construction.”
The response included teams from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Customs and Border Protection (CBP); Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Marshal’s Office; Internal Revenue Service; the FBI; National Guard; Department of Defense and U.S. Army; and the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms units.
Since 2019, officials have seized about $2.8 billion of the illegal drug, according to the governor.
