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Violent Chinese gangs operate an illegal marijuana empire in California under Newsom: report

September 18, 2026 | | Print Article

The legalization of marijuana in California reportedly spawned a large illicit market that is now being exploited by Chinese gangs, according to an investigation by Christopher F. Rufo and Haley Strack.

The two published a report Wednesday that examined the explosion of illegal marijuana cultivation in Siskiyou County, California, particularly in the Shasta Vista subdivision near Mount Shasta.

According to local law enforcement agents the two spoke with, large numbers of Chinese nationals have become involved in the illegal cannabis industry there, which authorities say has brought extensive environmental damage, property crime, violence, and other criminal activity to the rural community.

Rufo and Strack described accompanying Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue during a raid on a marijuana-growing property. They reported finding hundreds of greenhouse-like structures, thousands of cannabis plants, large quantities of water being trucked in, trash and sewage left on properties, and illegal/restricted pesticides bearing Chinese labels.

Sheriff LaRue told Rufo and Strack that individual properties can contain thousands of plants and that illegal cultivation in the Shasta Vista area could generate billions of dollars annually.

LaRue also warned that raids often have limited long-term impact because growers can return after authorities leave, while California’s penalties for illegal cultivation can be relatively weak.

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The most striking part of the report was the rampant violence linked to these illegal marijuana farms. Officials cited shootings, robberies, kidnappings, murders, and confrontations with law enforcement.

“There is this dread out here of the criminal enterprise doing all kinds of things, from violent crime to stealing water,” LaRue said for the report. “With this illegal enterprise that we have, we have people that show up and are being kidnapped, or they’re being tied up, they’re being robbed, they’re being shot . . . imagine having that as your neighbor.”

According to Rufo and Strack’s investigation, the marijuana problem in Siskiyou County expanded substantially after California legalized recreational marijuana in 2016. Local officials said Asian growers began purchasing large numbers of residential properties around that time, eventually transforming parts of Shasta Vista into concentrated cannabis-growing areas.

The investigation also examined who owns and controls the properties. According to LaRue, property records sometimes lead to people living elsewhere, while LLCs, proxies, and complicated ownership arrangements can make it difficult to identify the people ultimately financing and managing the operations.

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In Rufo and Strack’s report, they focused heavily on the pesticide issue. The authorities said that illegal growers have used chemicals that can pose serious health and environmental risks, and several first responders reportedly became ill or were injured after encountering them. The article identified several specific chemicals that regulators classify as hazardous.

Rufo and Strack also reported that some investigators suspect the pesticide use could represent an intentional effort by Chinese criminal organizations to poison Americans through contaminated marijuana. Rob Roggeveen of the Marijuana Impact Group described this as potentially resembling chemical warfare.

“This stuff is definitely being sent here to poison the plant that then gets ingested by the consumer,” he said. “And what better way to do it than on a product that’s not going to get you right away? It’s going to take time for it to fester in the body. It’s chemical warfare at its finest.”

The report also noted the possible connection between these illegal marijuana-growing operations and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It pointed to cases involving CCP-linked property ownership and other investigations into possible Chinese government connections.

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The report further argued that the possibility of CCP involvement deserves investigation, though it stressed that the evidence presented thus far doesn’t establish that the Chinese government controls Siskiyou County’s marijuana industry as a whole.

Rufo and Strack also bashed California Gov. Gavin Newsom, suggesting that his administration has failed to adequately address the problem.

LaRue said that, in his opinion, the governor is turning a blind eye to the problem for political reasons.

“The state understands how bad this is, but they don’t want to talk about it, I think, because it’s bad press,” he said. “This is exactly what he wouldn’t want people to see. It really is another failure, under his leadership, whether he wants to own it or not.”

Vivek Saxena
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