Judge dismisses some trafficking counts in Bridgeville cannabis case

Judge Kelly Neel narrowed the state’s human-trafficking case in Humboldt County on April 10, dismissing trafficking allegations tied to two alleged victims while holding 45-year-old Georgi Tonev of Bridgeville to answer on trafficking allegations involving one alleged victim identified in court records as a John Doe. Neel also reduced Tonev’s bail to $45,000 and ordered no-contact and a 100-yard restraining condition around the alleged victims.

The judge found at the preliminary hearing that the prosecution did not present sufficient evidence to satisfy the legal elements required to continue trafficking allegations for two of the alleged victims, though she concluded there was enough evidence to proceed to trial on the John Doe trafficking claim. Court minutes show Neel also held Tonev to answer on felony theft of wages, possessing more than six marijuana plants, and possession of marijuana for sale; Tonev pleaded not guilty.

The case grew out of a labor-trafficking probe focused on cannabis cultivation properties northeast of Bridgeville and in southern Humboldt County. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation began after contact from the Mexican Consulate about a worker who reported being stranded without food and without pay. HCSO’s Marijuana Enforcement Team served three search warrants on March 10 and 11, 2026 — two in Bridgeville and one in Garberville — with assistance from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Cannabis Control.

Authorities say deputies located and removed the victim from a licensed cultivation site after requesting the HCSO Search and Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team due to significant flooding; deputies served a February 25, 2026, warrant to extract the worker. In its public statement HCSO reported observing "failing, unsanitary, and inhumane" living and working infrastructure and "several regulatory violations," and said the victim was connected to services through the Northern California Coalition to Safeguard Communities.

Lost Coast Outpost’s reporting on court papers notes the initial complaint accused Tonev of withholding more than $2,350 in wages for two employees, and that a human-trafficking conviction in this context carries a maximum sentence of 12 years. Tonev’s attorney, Andrea Sullivan, said she believes the "John Does" "preyed against" Tonev’s generosity and stressed there were no allegations of threats of physical violence or implied threats tied to work.

The ruling reduces the prosecution’s immediate bargaining leverage and leaves open several paths: prosecutors may amend charges, seek additional witnesses or evidence, or appeal pretrial rulings. Scheduling of remaining pretrial hearings and any filings from the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office will determine whether the case expands or proceeds solely on the remaining trafficking and related counts.