Millions of Unlawful Cannabis Bundles Disguised as Children’s Candy Were Found in California

A recent investigation in California revealed more than 2.2 million pieces of fraudulent cannabis packaging, which officials claim was intended to circumvent the state’s legal cannabis laws.

In a press release, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced that a recent sting operation in the Los Angeles Toy District resulted in the seizure of over 2 million cannabis packages illegally marked with a forged California seal, jeopardizing the safety and integrity of the state’s regulated cannabis industry.

According to officials, the majority of the illegal packaging was made to seem like popular food and candy items that children could like.

“California is committed to promoting a safe and legal cannabis market. We will not allow criminal conduct that undermines the lawful market, particularly where children are at risk. “This successful operation in the Toy District reinforces our commitment and sends a clear message to criminals who choose to operate outside the safer legal industry,” Newsom said in a statement to Fox News.

The sting operation targeted 11 establishments in Los Angeles’ Toy District, where several businesses manufactured and sold bulk packaging used in the illegal cannabis industry to deceive clients and evade state safety and quality rules, according to officials.

“The operation in the Toy District marks a crucial new path for the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce in disrupting unlicensed cannabis sales. “Illegal packaging is dangerous to consumers, especially when it imitates well-known brands that are appealing to children, and it must be removed from the market,” stated Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) Director Nicole Elliott.

The task force also recently claimed that it has confiscated more than $120 million in illicit cannabis since January.

“The legal cannabis market brings billions of dollars to our state’s economy, helping to sustain California’s position as the fifth-largest economy in the world,” Newsom told the crowd.

In recent months, the task force conducted operations in 11 California counties, including Mendocino, Tuolumne, Shasta, Orange, Kern, Alameda, Yuba, Trinity, Los Angeles, Butte, and Humboldt, according to FOX 58 Bakersfield.

“We will not tolerate illegal operations that threaten our economy and the health and well-being of California communities,” Newsom told the press.

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