The violations had nothing to do with cannabis. Neither did nearly half the drone flights Sonoma County made in 2024, according to an ACLU lawsuit alleging around 700 warrantless flights over private property since 2019. The county has stopped flying while it negotiates a settlement.
A Northern California county has paused a controversial drone surveillance program targeting small-time cannabis growers after an enforcement campaign that left dozens of people facing foreclosure, eviction and six-figure fines.
Sonoma County was sued on behalf of residents by the American Civil Liberties Union last year and accused of an unconstitutional “runaway spying operation” in which officials flew drones low over properties in search of unpermitted cannabis grows. But nearly half the 2024 drone flights had nothing to do with cannabis, according to the lawsuit.
“Like anything, I can sit and feel sorry for myself or I can take action,” says Keni Meyer, whose home was foreclosed after officials alleged minor building code violations unrelated to cannabis. She is now living in a trailer park. “I’ll never stop fighting the good fight,” she adds.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
- About 700 warrantless drone flights over private property since 2019.
- Roughly 5,600 aerial photographs collected, some taken from as low as 50 feet.
- Nearly half of the 2024 flights had nothing to do with cannabis.
- 863 cannabis cultivation sites shut down over the same period, according to internal county documents cited in the filing.
Figures as alleged in the ACLU’s complaint against Sonoma County. The county says it does not comment on pending litigation.
Over several years, however, a slew of cannabis farms were cited for alleged minor code violations that were often difficult or impossible to resolve before penalties rapidly escalated into six-figure fines, sending them out of business.
“The objective really was just to destroy cannabis cultivators in Sonoma County and they were successful,” claims former cannabis farmer Elias Stravenitis, who ran Nor Cal Pharms before it was forced to shut down. “They didn’t like the fact it was legalized. They hired narc detectives and people who were diametrically opposed to the legalization of cannabis.”
He spent $250,000 building a cannabis nursery that employed 20 people behind his home, but says the county ultimately refused to grant him a license on spurious grounds. He is still fighting a million-dollar fine that could see him lose his property. The plot where a modern cannabis farm once sat is now overgrown, after he was required to dismantle the operation.
Even completely licensed operators were swept up by the enforcement campaign. Cannabis farmer Jeremy Freitas says he became trapped between conflicting state and county regulations over cultivation methods, eventually accumulating about $83,000 in fines while trying to bring his farm into compliance. He says the financial pressure pushed him to the brink of bankruptcy and contributed to the breakdown of his marriage.
“I think it’s pay-to-play. I served my country for things like this not to happen.”
Jeremy Freitas, cannabis farmer and air force veteran
The 43-page complaint, filed in Sonoma County Superior Court on behalf of three longtime residents, alleged officials secretly carried out around 700 warrantless drone flights over private property since 2019, collecting roughly 5,600 aerial photographs. According to the ACLU, the drones sometimes flew as low as 50 feet and captured high-resolution images of backyards, hot tubs, children’s play areas and other areas where residents reasonably expected privacy.
Internal county documents cited in the lawsuit say authorities shut down 863 cannabis cultivation sites over the same period. Campaigners estimate legal cannabis acreage fell from around 50 acres after legalization to roughly 10 acres today, leaving a far more concentrated industry dominated by larger operators.
| Who | What happened | The bill |
|---|---|---|
| Keni Meyer Homeowner |
Cited for minor building code violations unrelated to cannabis | Home foreclosed. Now living in a trailer park |
| Elias Stravenitis Nor Cal Pharms |
License refused, nursery dismantled, 20 jobs gone | $250,000 spent building it, still fighting a $1 million fine that could cost him his property |
| Jeremy Freitas Licensed operator |
Caught between conflicting state and county rules on cultivation methods | About $83,000 in fines, pushed to the brink of bankruptcy |
A Sonoma County spokesperson said it is not presently conducting warrantless drone flights to inspect properties for county code violations, while officials negotiate a potential settlement with the ACLU. “We do not generally comment on pending litigation, and we cannot legally discuss settlement negotiations,” they said.
Three senior Permit Sonoma officials, including the department’s director and the former narcotics detective who helped oversee the drone program, have since left their posts amid mounting legal scrutiny.
“The War on Drugs has long been a primary means for the government to push forward the surveillance state and abuses of power against citizens and businesses that can then be extended to all citizens,” says David Bienenstock, the author of How to Smoke Pot (Properly). “First they came for the weed growers…”
Although the county has halted the warrantless drone flights while settlement negotiations continue, the cultivators’ battle for justice, and the financial fallout for many of those caught up in the enforcement campaign, is far from over.
