SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A California task force has seized $70.7 million worth of illegal cannabis since July, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday. The seizures are included in the over 42,000 pounds of illicit cannabis “taken off the streets since the beginning of the year,” Newsom said in a news release. Since January, California’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force (UCETF) has seized $191 million worth of illegal cannabis across 13 counties, according to the governor’s office. “Through the UCETF, California continues the charge in cracking down on the illicit cannabis market for the safety of consumers and the support of the legal cannabis industry,” Newsom said. California’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF) On Oct. 1, it was announced that UCETF seized 2,652 cannabis plants from a single operation in Oakland’s Coliseum neighborhood. The estimated value of the illegally cultivated cannabis was over $2.3 million, according to the California Department of Cannabis Control. The illegal grow operations threaten California’s legal cannabis market, the governor’s office argued, and the use of illegal pesticides and unregulated practices harm the state’s environment and water quality. California Department of Fish and Wildlife Deputy Director and Chief of Law Enforcement Nathaniel Arnold said that officers involved in the task force operations are “on the front lines, protecting our natural resources, ensuring public safety, and safeguarding vulnerable workers.” 1,000 lbs. of cannabis products, malnourished kitten seized in East Bay drug busts The governor’s office also stated that California is working to end the exploitation of vulnerable workers at illegal cannabis sites. These vulnerable workers “are often victims of labor violations and human trafficking,” the office said.