They’re still growing weed up in them thar hills.
As the season for illegal marijuana cultivation gets underway, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET) is back in action.
On June 7, MET investigators served search warrants at three properties, seizing 3,173 illegal marijuana plants, seven firearms and a small amount of methamphetamine.
No arrests were made and its unclear if the three grow operations were connected.
Two of the grow operations were close together in the Woodland area, on the 4700 block of Hirsch Road and the 3200 block of Wildcat Road. At those two locations deputies seized 2,167 plants, two pistols and one shotgun.
The third search warrant was served on a property on Old Yosemite Road in the Coulterville/Greeley Hill area.
“These were not small personal grows,” said the sheriff’s office in a statement.
“Illegal marijuana cultivation in Mariposa County is often tied to sophisticated, cartel style drug trafficking organizations that operate outside the law, damage our environment, steal natural resources and bring crime into our rural communities,” the statement said.
From July 2024 through June 2025, the MET team eradicated 27,394 cannabis plants.
Suspects are seldom found at grow operations, so it is not unusual for deputies to not make an arrest, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said.
Reflecting on the raids last week, Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese told the board of supervisors, “Our approach is bringing the community together, we are not putting our heads in the sand. We’re looking at the problem and solving it together.”
Recreational use of cannabis is legal in California, and adults 21 and older can grow up to six cannabis plants at their residence. Those with a medical marijuana prescription may grow up to a dozen plants and up to 24 if there are two qualified patients.
It is illegal to grow for sale in California without a state commercial license. But commercial cultivation of any kind is prohibited in Mariposa County.
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