On Mar 10 and 11, 2026, deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET) served a series of three search warrants as part of an ongoing investigation into labor trafficking at a state-licensed cannabis cultivation site. Two warrants were served on remote properties in Bridgeville, and one warrant was served on a remote property in Garberville. The Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Cannabis Control assisted in the service of the warrants.
This investigation began on Feb. 22, 2026, when the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) received a call from the Mexican Consulate. Consulate officials were communicating with a victim who reported they were working on a cannabis cultivation site and had been left stranded alone on the property without food and without payment of owed wages.
HCSO MET initiated an investigation and determined the victim was located on a licensed cannabis cultivation site on a remote property northeast of Bridgeville. Deputies attempted to reach the victim but were unable to make contact due to environmental conditions and significant flooding in the area. Assistance was requested from the HCSO Search and Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team.
On Feb. 25, 2026, HCSO MET, with assistance from the Swift Water Rescue Team and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, were able to navigate the flooding and serve a search warrant on the cultivation site. Deputies located the victim and safely removed them from the property. Following the extraction, the victim was immediately connected with support services and resources through the Northern California Coalition to Safeguard Communities.
During the service of the search warrant, MET deputies observed failing, unsanitary, and inhumane infrastructure related to the living and working conditions on the site. Deputies also observed several regulatory violations related to the licensed cannabis operation. Based on the victim’s statements and the conditions observed on the property, investigators identified indicators consistent with labor trafficking.
Department of Cannabis Control investigators were not made available for the initial contact with the victim or inspection of the licensed premises. As the investigation continued, MET determined the licensee was not following state labor laws or worker requirements.
On Mar. 10, 2026, as part of the ongoing investigation at the Bridgeville properties, deputies located a primary suspect connected to the human trafficking allegations. Georgi Tonev, 45, of Bridgeville, was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for violation of California Penal Code 236.1 - Human Trafficking.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Enforcement Team and its partner agencies remain committed to investigating human trafficking and labor exploitation occurring within both licensed and unlicensed cannabis cultivation operations.
This investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information about this case or other cannabis or human trafficking violations 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.
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