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Drug Cartels Took Over Large Tracts Of The Desert During Pandemic To Grow Illegal Pot, According To Sheriff

Sheriff Alex Villanueva says "indentured servants" beholden to organized crime are trafficked across the southern border to work at unlawful marijuana farms.

Jeffrey Cawood
Drug Cartels Took Over Large Tracts Of The Desert During Pandemic To Grow Illegal Pot, According To Sheriff
PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva appeared on Fox & Friends Weekend early Saturday morning to discuss his goal of eliminating illegal marijuana farms operated by drug cartels that set up shop in the desert during the pandemic.

Even though recreational cannabis sales became legal in California in 2018, high taxes and strict regulations have resulted in a thriving black market.

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