California has seized over 2.2 million illicit cannabis packages that were marketed as children’s candy in a recent operation.
The Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce conducted the sting operation in the Los Angeles Toy District.
The big picture: The taskforce, which was led by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA), focused on 11 storefronts in Los Angeles, where numerous businesses were found manufacturing and selling bulk packaging used in the illicit cannabis market.
- Officers seized 2,279,900 packages, as well as 31 banker-sized boxes and garbage bags filled with illicit cannabis.
- Officers also seized 32 boxes and bags of illicit cigarettes and tobacco products.
- Many packages resembled popular food and candy brands, including Twinkies and Sweet Tarts.
Go deeper: Cannabis products in California are required to be labeled and include packaging that is child-resistant, tamper-evident, resealable, opaque if edible and include the universal symbol for cannabis.
- The illicit packages had a forged California cannabis symbol printed on them.
- Since the taskforce was created in 2022, it has seized over $465 million in unlicensed cannabis through 309 search warrants.
- It has also eradicated over 470,000 illegal cannabis plants, seized 150 illegal firearms and arrested 38 individuals.
What they’re saying: “This packaging provides a thin yet frightening veil of legitimacy for illicit operators,” said CDTFA Director Nick Maduros. “It violates the trust of California consumers who believe that the cannabis symbol signifies a certain product standard, and it enables illegal operators to circumvent tax and licensing requirements.”
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state is committed to supporting its safe and legal cannabis market.
- “We will not tolerate criminal activity that undermines the legal market, especially when it puts children at risk,” Newsom said. “This successful operation in the Toy District reinforces our commitment and sends a clear warning to criminals choosing to operate outside the safer legal industry.”
