
There are many illegal marijuana farms, but federal agents targeted California's biggest legal one
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.
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 — but also to rattle the state's legal cannabis industry.
Meanwhile, the Republican Trump administration has been feuding with heavily Democratic California over funding for everything from high-speed rail construction to wildfire relief, so it's also possible Glass House was pulled into a broader conflict between the White House and Sacramento.
'There are plenty of other places they can go to find illegal workers,' said political consultant Adam Spiker, who advises cannabis companies. 'A lot of people believe there is a hint of politics in this. It's federal enforcement coming into California to go after cannabis.'
What happened during the raids?
On July 10, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents executed a search warrant for Glass House's farms in Carpinteria and Camarillo, court filings show.
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 from his injuries.
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.
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.
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.
Why Glass House?
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.
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.
The company has not been charged.
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.
Company officials did not respond to calls or emails. In a brief statement on the social platform X, Glass House said it complied with immigration and naturalization warrants and 'has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors.'
Some believe the raid was aimed at the legal marijuana market
After the raid, United Farm Workers — the country's biggest farm worker union — posted an urgent message 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.
'We know this is unfair,' it said, 'but we encourage you to protect yourself and your family.'
Industry experts point to unwelcome publicity the company received after rival Catalyst Cannabis Co. filed a 2023 lawsuit alleging that Glass House 'has become one of the largest, if not the largest, black marketers of cannabis in the state of California.' 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.
Who runs the Glass House farm sites?
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.
Glass House started growing cannabis in a greenhouse in Carpinteria in Santa Barbara County when once-thriving cut flower operations 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.
To date, two of the greenhouses have been converted to grow cannabis. Workers' relatives said tomatoes are still being grown in other greenhouses at the location.
How did Glass House do it?
The raids have put the spotlight on a company that is alternately admired and reviled because of its meteoric rise in the nation's largest legal market.
Glass House is the state's biggest legal cultivator, dwarfing its nearest rivals. Glass House Farms is part of the broader company Glass House Brands, which has other businesses that make cannabis products.
'There is no farmer in California that can compete with them at scale,' Sacramento-based cannabis consultant Sam Rodriguez said.
Many legal operators have struggled despite the passage of Proposition 64 in 2016 — which was seen as a watershed moment in the push to legitimize and tax California's multibillion-dollar marijuana industry. In 2018, when retail outlets could open, California became the world's largest legal marketplace.
But operators faced heavy taxes, seven-figure start-up costs and for many consumers, the tax-free illegal market remained a better deal.
But as other companies folded, Glass House took off, fueling envy and suspicion by rivals over its boom at a time when much of the state's legal market was in crisis, in large part because of competition from the robust underground market.
In a recent call with investors, Kazan said company revenue in the first quarter hit $45 million — up 49% over the same period last year. He said he remained hopeful for a federal shift that would end marijuana's classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD.
But 'we are a company that does not require federal legalization for survival,' Kazan said.
Glass House's sales grew as many others around the state declined.
'I remain steadfast in the belief that it is not if but when the cannabis industry becomes America's next massive normalized industry, and I'm excited to participate along with investors in the corresponding reward that that change will bring,' he said.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Global News
28 minutes ago
- Global News
Trump begins EU trade discussions at golf resort meeting in Scotland
President Donald Trump headed into high-stakes talks Sunday with a top European official demanding fairer trade with the 27-member European Union and threatening steep tariffs to achieve that while insisting the United States will not go below 15 per cent import taxes. Make-or-break talks could head off punishing U.S. tariffs and promised retaliation from Europe that could send shock waves through economies around the globe. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, seated next to Trump at his golf resort on the Scottish coast, called for a rebalancing of bilateral trade worth billions of dollars between the vital partners. Speaking to reporters before their private meeting, she and Trump put the chances of reaching an agreement at 50-50 as Friday's White House deadline neared. 'This is bigger than any other deal,' Trump said. He suggested they could cut a deal in just a short time. Story continues below advertisement Trump called von der Leyen 'highly respected' and meeting with her at his Turnberry golf course, where he played in the morning, was an honor. 'The main sticking point,' the Republican president said, was 'fairness.' View image in full screen President Donald Trump meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin). For months, Trump has threatened most of the world with large tariffs in hopes of shrinking major U.S. trade deficits with many key trading partners, including the EU. Trump has hinted that any deal with the EU would have to 'buy down' the currently scheduled tariff rate of 30 per cent. During the remarks before the media Sunday, he pointed to a recent U.S. agreement with Japan that set tariff rates for many goods at 15 per cent and suggested the EU could agree to something similar. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Asked if he would be willing to accept tariff rates lower than that, Trump said 'no.' Story continues below advertisement Their meeting came after Trump played golfed for the second straight day at his Turnberry course on the southwest coast of Scotland, this time with a group that included sons Eric and Donald Jr. The president's five-day visit to Scotland is built around golf and promoting properties bearing his name. View image in full screen US President Donald Trump plays golf at his Trump Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire, during his five-day private trip to the country. Picture date: Sunday July 27, 2025. (PA Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Wire). A small group of demonstrators at the course waved American flags and raised a sign criticizing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who plans his own Turnberry meeting with Trump on Monday. Other voices could be heard cheering and chanting 'Trump! Trump!' as he played nearby. On Tuesday, Trump will be in Aberdeen, in northeastern Scotland, where his family has another golf course and is opening a third next month. The president and his sons plan to help cut the ribbon on the new course. Joining von der Leyen were Maros Sefcovic, the EU's chief trade negotiator; Björn Seibert, the head of von der Leyen's Cabinet; Sabine Weyand, the commission's directorate-general for trade, and Tomas Baert, head of the trade and agriculture at the EU's delegation to the U.S. Story continues below advertisement 1:06 Trump visits Scotland to open new golf resort, sparking mixed local response The U.S. and EU seemed close to a deal earlier this month, but Trump instead threatened the 30 per cent tariff rate. The deadline for the Trump administration to begin imposing tariffs has shifted in recent weeks but is now firm, the administration insists. 'No extensions, no more grace periods. Aug. 1, the tariffs are set, they'll go into place, Customs will start collecting the money and off we go,' U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told 'Fox News Sunday.' He added, however, that even after that 'people can still talk to President Trump. I mean, he's always willing to listen.' Lutnick said the EU 'needs to make a deal and wants to make a deal and they are flying to Scotland to make a deal with President Trump. The question is do they offer President Trump a good enough deal that is worth it for him to step off of the 30 per cent tariffs that he set.' Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen President Donald Trump meets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Trump Turnberry golf course in Turnberry, Scotland Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin). Without an agreement, the EU says it is prepared to retaliate with tariffs on hundreds of American products, ranging from beef and auto parts to beer and Boeing airplanes. If Trump eventually makes good on his threat of tariffs against Europe, it could make everything from French cheese and Italian leather goods to German electronics and Spanish pharmaceuticals more expensive in the United States. The U.S. and Britain, meanwhile, announced a trade framework in May and a larger agreement last month during the Group of Seven meeting in Canada. Trump says that deal is concluded and that he and Starmer will discuss other matters, though the White House has suggested it still needs some polishing.


Winnipeg Free Press
28 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Several people injured after passenger train derails in southwestern Germany
BERLIN (AP) — Several people were injured after a passenger train derailed Sunday in southwestern Germany, according to German news agency dpa. Federal police told dpa that the severity of the injuries was not immediately clear. The crash occurred in the Biberach district, nearly 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the French border. Details about what caused the derailment were not immediately available.


Edmonton Journal
28 minutes ago
- Edmonton Journal
Canada's homebuilding industry feeling strain of U.S. tariffs on costs, supply chain
As a tariff storm blew in from south of the border earlier this year, many industries in Canada, including the home building sector, feared the unknown ahead of them. Article content With stakeholders already keenly aware of the need to rapidly scale up housing supply and improve Canada's housing affordability gap, blanket tariffs and more targeted material-specific levies meant additional unwelcome obstacles to overcome. Article content Article content That included a potential need to slow down the pace of construction as supply chains shifted and key construction parts became more expensive. Article content 'It's difficult to pinpoint what exactly is the cost impact, but we certainly can say that there is an impact in terms of business confidence and … having materials when they need them in a timely manner.' Article content About six months after U.S. President Donald Trump's return to the White House, many in the home construction sector say unpredictability persists around the cost and timing of obtaining the materials they need. Article content For Geranium, that's meant having to pivot on the fly when it comes to the supply chains it's long relied on. Article content Shindruk said the firm is now increasingly sourcing materials made in Canada, such as brick and stone, and doubling down on products typically imported from other countries besides the U.S. That includes steel, which it sources from countries including South Korea, Portugal and China — allowing it to avoid surtaxes on American steel in response to Trump's tariffs. Article content Article content But she said some materials simply can't be replicated in domestic or other international markets. For instance, a component in the layered glass windows used by Geranium continues to be sourced from the U.S. due to patent issues. The company has essentially decided to eat the extra costs. Article content Article content 'It's not like switching on a switch and all of a sudden those materials that used to be sourced from the U.S, which are significant, can now be produced in Canada,' she said. Article content 'Where that's not realistic, then items are continuing to be sourced from the U.S. and (we're) paying the tariff.' Article content Among products hit hardest by the trade war, Canadian Home Builders' Association CEO Kevin Lee highlighted appliances, interior doors and carpeting. Article content Article content In some cases, he said builders have looked for substitutions to their typical input materials.