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Despite great strides in combatting human trafficking, the criminal justice system has struggled to identify, investigate, and prosecute labor traffickers. Law enforcement often lacks a criminal predicate to proactively investigate labor exploitation in otherwise legal businesses. These roadblocks are abated, however, when forced labor occurs within illegal industries, such as illicit cannabis. Marijuana grow operations are often run by transnational organized crime networks, who recruit vulnerable populations to plant and harvest the crop—often for little to no pay and in dangerous and unsanitary conditions. These illicit cannabis sites also cause widespread environmental harm, including poisoned waterbeds, wildfires, and damage to flora and fauna. This presentation will explore how law enforcement can proactively identify forced labor within the illicit cannabis industry by applying a human trafficking lens to narcotics investigations and collaborating with other government, regulatory, and community stakeholders. The presenter will discuss strategies for investigating and prosecuting labor trafficking within the illicit cannabis and other illegal industries, including methods for assessing the culpability of workers. The presentation will be grounded in real-life examples by highlighting the ongoing efforts of a coalition of Sheriffs in the Emerald Triangle of rural northern California. Finally, the presenter will demonstrate how criminal justice personnel can utilize a similar model to confront labor trafficking and forced criminality in other illicit businesses.

PRESENTER: Lou Longhitano, Attorney Advisor, AEquitas

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