{"id":11571821,"date":"2025-07-22T12:24:51","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T16:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/?p=11571821&preview=true&preview_id=11571821"},"modified":"2025-07-22T12:32:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T16:32:03","slug":"marijuana-farm-raid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/22\/marijuana-farm-raid\/","title":{"rendered":"There are many illegal marijuana farms, but federal agents targeted California\u2019s biggest legal one"},"content":{"rendered":"

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD and AMY TAXIN, Associated Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 There are thousands of illegal marijuana farms around the country.<\/p>\n

But when the federal government decided to stage one of its largest raids since President Donald Trump took office in January, it picked the biggest legal grower in California<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nearly two weeks later, the reason for the federal raid at two Glass House farm sites northwest of Los Angeles remains unclear and has prompted speculation. Some say the raid was intended to send a chilling message to immigrants in the U.S. illegally \u2014 but also to rattle the state\u2019s legal cannabis industry.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Republican Trump administration has been feuding with heavily Democratic California over funding for everything from high-speed rail construction<\/a> to wildfire relief, so it\u2019s also possible Glass House was pulled into a broader conflict between the White House and Sacramento.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are plenty of other places they can go to find illegal workers,\u201d said political consultant Adam Spiker, who advises cannabis companies. \u201cA lot of people believe there is a hint of politics in this. It\u2019s federal enforcement coming into California to go after cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Demonstrators
FILE – Demonstrators confront federal agents blocking a road during an immigration raid in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo\/Michael Owen Baker, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What happened during the raids?<\/h4>\n

On July 10, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents executed a search warrant for Glass House\u2019s farms in Carpinteria and Camarillo, court filings show.<\/p>\n

At the Camarillo site, armored vehicles blocked the road, which is lined with fields and greenhouses, as masked agents deployed onto the property. One farmworker who fell from a greenhouse roof while running to hide later died<\/a> from his injuries.<\/p>\n

Outside the farm, officers faced off with demonstrators and fired tear gas to disperse them, a federal agent wrote in court filings. One demonstrator threw a gas canister back at Border Patrol officers, according to the agent. Another demonstrator, who is sought by the FBI, appeared to fire a gun.<\/p>\n

More than 360 people were arrested, most suspected of being in the country without legal status. Those arrested included four U.S. citizens, including U.S. Army veteran George Retes, 25, who works as a security guard and was held for three days.<\/p>\n

The operation came more than a month into an extended crackdown across Southern California that was originally centered in Los Angeles, where local officials say the federal actions are spreading fear in immigrant communities.<\/p>\n

\"
FILE – A protester runs from tear gas tossed by federal immigration agents to clear a path for the vehicles during a raid in the agriculture area of Camarillo, Calif., Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo\/Michael Owen Baker, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why Glass House?<\/h4>\n

No cannabis was seized and the criminal search warrants used to enter the farm sites are under court seal. Authorities refused to share them with The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

The government said the business was being investigated for potential child labor, human trafficking and other abuses. Agents found 14 children at one site. No information has been released about the minors.<\/p>\n

The company has not been charged.<\/p>\n

Federal and state laws allow children as young as 12 to work in agriculture under certain conditions, though no one under age 21 is allowed to work in the cannabis industry.<\/p>\n

Company officials did not respond to calls or emails. In a brief statement<\/a> on the social platform X, Glass House said it complied with immigration and naturalization warrants and \u201chas never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
FILE – The exterior of Glass House Farms is shown, a day after an immigration raid on the facility, on Friday, July 11, 2025, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some believe the raid was aimed at the legal marijuana market<\/h4>\n

After the raid, United Farm Workers \u2014 the country\u2019s biggest farm worker union \u2014 posted an urgent message<\/a> to its social media accounts warning that because marijuana is illegal under federal law, workers who are not U.S. citizens should avoid jobs in the cannabis industry, including state-licensed facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know this is unfair,\u201d it said, \u201cbut we encourage you to protect yourself and your family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Industry experts point to unwelcome publicity the company received after rival Catalyst Cannabis Co. filed a 2023 lawsuit alleging that Glass House \u201chas become one of the largest, if not the largest, black marketers of cannabis in the state of California.\u201d The lawsuit, formally filed by Catalyst parent 562 Discount Med Inc., was dismissed last year but the headlines might have drawn the interest of federal investigators.<\/p>\n

\"Juan
FILE – Juan Duran cries outside of Glass House Farms, where a relative was injured during a previous day immigration raid, on Friday, July 11, 2025, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo\/Damian Dovarganes, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who runs the Glass House farm sites?<\/h4>\n

The company was co-founded by Kyle Kazan, a former Southern California police officer and special education teacher turned cannabis investor, and Graham Farrar, a Santa Barbara tech entrepreneur.<\/p>\n

Glass House started growing cannabis in a greenhouse in Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County when once-thriving cut flower operations<\/a> were being reduced. It later bought property in Camarillo in neighboring Ventura County for $93 million that had six greenhouses and was being used to grow tomatoes and cucumbers.<\/p>\n

To date, two of the greenhouses have been converted to grow cannabis. Workers\u2019 relatives said tomatoes are still being grown in other greenhouses at the location.<\/p>\n