A $7.4 million grant to the Fresno Police Department and the Fresno City Attorney's Office will help prosecute illegal marijuana grows. (GV Wire Composite)
- A $7.4 million grant to the Fresno Police Department and Fresno City Attorney's Office will help prosecute illegal marijuana sales and grows.
- The money comes from the state's Prop 64 public safety grant.
- Police and code enforcers have been cracking down on illegal grows and shops.
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A $7.4 million grant from the state of California to the Fresno Police Department and the Fresno City Attorney’s Office will help law enforcement crack down on illegal cannabis operations.
The funding will help police and investigators shut down illegal grows and unlicensed shops, and clean up neighborhood blight, according to a news release from the city attorney’s office.
“Together, our departments will implement a coordinated strategy leveraging criminal, civil, and administrative enforcement tools to dismantle illegal operations and hold violators accountable,” said Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto. “This unified approach ensures a comprehensive and efficient response that prioritizes public safety, protects our licensed businesses, and safeguards Fresno’s young people from the dangers associated with unregulated drug activity.”
City Attorney Andrew Janz said illegal cannabis operations contribute to blight throughout the city.
“Illegal grows and illicit shops bring serious hazards right into our neighborhoods — from fire risks and hazardous electrical wiring to toxic chemicals and crime,” Janz said. “This funding gives our team the resources to hold unlawful operators accountable, clean up blighted buildings, and protect our communities without taking a dime from Fresno taxpayers.”
How Money Will Be Divided Up in Fresno
When California voters approved Proposition 64 — legalizing marijuana in the state — it came with the creation of the law’s health and safety grant program, which provided the enforcement money to the city.
Of the grant, $6 million will go to police to expand criminal investigations, tactical suppression, and field operations to dismantle marijuana cultivation networks and delivery operations. The $1.4 million to the city attorney’s office will help locate and enforce cannabis cultivation locations, sales, and building code violations.
Police will combine $884,700 with $375,000 from the city attorney to launch operations for the first year of the program.
In the past couple years, police together with the city attorney have gone after illegal cannabis in the city, especially in smoke shops. In 2024, law enforcement uncovered an illegal grow with about 811 marijuana plants in a garden supply store.
That year, the city issued $5 million in citations and found hundreds of pounds of illegal marijuana and other criminal activity.
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