National Guard joins DEA in California desert to bust illicit marijuana grow

National Guard troops deployed to California to quell the anti-deportation riots were later mobilized to help federal agents bust dozens of illegal migrants working at illegal marijuana farms.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed that their agents, working in conjunction with multiple federal agency partners, arrested at least 70 illegal migrants allegedly working at multiple illegal marijuana farms in California’s Coachella Valley. National Guard troops assisted DEA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents in the massive raid.

The operation targeted three different illegal marijuana sites in Thermal, California, according to Anthony Chrysanthis, Deputy Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Los Angeles Field Division. Temperatures reached a scorching 112 degrees during the operation, and when federal agents executed the search warrant, they discovered padlocks holding two men inside a trailer.

WATCH:

Anthony Chrysanthis, Deputy Special Agent in Charge for the DEA LA Field Division, discusses conditions at 3 illegal marijuana grow operations in Thermal. DEA, with the support of federal partners, executed search warrants at the grow sites earlier this week. @DEAHQ #RiversideDO pic.twitter.com/OoyWsZwajW

— DEALosAngeles (@DEALOSANGELES) June 20, 2025

Another U.S. citizen was arrested for allegedly impeding law enforcement, according to the DEA.

“These operators were not planning on stopping,” Chrysanthis said of the individuals allegedly behind the marijuana farms. “Instead we saw evidence of additional construction.”

The DEA and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation. The National Guard directed inquiries to DHS.

The massive raid took place in the wake of widespread anti-ICE riots that shook Los Angeles several days prior, causing millions in damages and requiring federal law enforcement to restore peace. Roughly 315 National Guard troops mobilized to respond to the anti-ICE violence were redeployed to the Coachella Valley area to help federal agents with the operation, according to newly filed court documents obtained by the LA Times.

The massive illegal migrant drug bust follows an ongoing legal battle between the Trump administration and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom over whether the White House has the authority to command thousands of National Guard members to stop the anti-ICE riots. A federal judge initially blocked President Donald Trump’s deployment of the troops, but the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals quickly paused that order, allowing the White House to continue.

The DHS, which aims to conduct the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, issued a directive in January empowering law enforcement agencies across the Department of Justice with immigration enforcement authorities in order to help ICE operations. The directive applies to the DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Federal Bureau of Prisons — with many of the agencies present at the Coachella Valley raid.

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