Sheriff's Office Serves Warrants on Cannabis Sites in Labor Trafficking Probe

Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Marijuana Enforcement Team deputies served three search warrants on remote licensed cannabis properties this week, targeting two sites near Bridgeville and one near Garberville as part of an active investigation into alleged labor trafficking. The operation, conducted March 10-11, marks the latest in a sustained enforcement campaign that has stretched across southern Humboldt and into Trinity County since at least early 2024.

The March warrants are the most recent development in a case that gained significant attention in December 2025, when MET deputies executed four warrants at locations including the 37000 block of Mattole Road in Patrolia, the 7000 block of Benbow Drive, and the 800 block of Redway Drive. During those raids, conducted December 16-17, deputies at a licensed cultivation site contacted five victims of labor exploitation and provided them with resources. They also located 14,000 pounds of illegal processed marijuana and four firearms. Emrah Cevik, a 31-year-old from Oklahoma, was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Jail on charges of possession of marijuana for sale and failure to obey a court order. The Sheriff's Office said several others remain under investigation and additional trafficking-related charges are expected.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Cannabis Control assisted with the December warrants. The central tension running through that phase of the investigation has not been publicly resolved: the raids targeted a state-licensed farm, yet deputies characterized the 14,000 pounds of processed marijuana found there as illegal. The Sheriff's Office has not publicly explained what specifically made the product illegal despite the site's licensing status, a question that the Department of Cannabis Control has not addressed in available public statements.

The labor trafficking thread connects to a broader regional investigation. CDFW's Cannabis Enforcement Program confirmed it served two search warrants with MET assistance at residences on Covey Court as part of the same ongoing case. CDFW spokesperson Sarah Sol said those warrants are linked to illicit cannabis cultivation on several Trinity County properties, where previous enforcement uncovered hundreds of plants, more than 1,000 pounds of processed cannabis, and environmental violations.

The MET's enforcement record in the lead-up to these trafficking-focused operations reflects a pattern of large-scale seizures and environmental damage at illegal grows across the region. In October 2025, deputies served two warrants in the Island Mountain area with assistance from CDFW and the Bureau of Land Management, seizing more than 1,092 pounds of processed cannabis bud and shake along with 15 pounds of hash, and eradicating approximately 280 plants. Assisting agencies discovered multiple water pollution violations carrying potential fines of up to $20,000 per day, per violation. No arrests were made in that operation, and the case was forwarded to the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office for review.

In March 2024, MET deputies executed a warrant targeting illegal indoor cultivation in the King Salmon, Greenwood Heights, and Fir Loop Road areas, eradicating approximately 1,366 plants and seizing more than 120 pounds of cannabis bud. Deputies discovered two tampered PG&E meters; PG&E confirmed the residences were stealing power. Again, no arrests were made and the case went to the DA.

Specific details from the March 10-11, 2026 warrants near Bridgeville and Garberville, including quantities seized, arrests, environmental findings, and any victims identified, had not been released by the Sheriff's Office as of publication. Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff's Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.