Out in the California desert, abandoned illegal grow operations are quietly telling the story of a society coming apart. In this video, I explore the raided ruins of illicit grow sites once operated by drug cartels, foreign-backed criminal networks, and local gangs. These locations reveal how illegal grow operations are set up, how they exploit land and resources, and how law enforcement eventually tracks them down and shuts them off. But this isn’t just urban exploration. We break down why these illegal grows are increasing in scale, how they impact rural and off-grid areas, and why they represent a real and growing threat to people living outside traditional systems. This video also dives into practical prepping lessons, including using drones for reconnaissance, maintaining situational awareness, and understanding what’s happening in your surrounding area before it becomes dangerous. If you live off-grid, prep for societal instability, or want to understand how criminal enterprises thrive during decline, this is required knowledge. This is Wasteland By Wednesday — documenting the cracks in civilization while we watch them become fractures. ? Like, Comment, and Subscribe to support the channel and help spread The word! For those who are interested in my in-depth analysis of the causes of collapse and how to be prepared for it, you can get my books on the subjects from Amazon: Wasteland By Wednesday [https://amzn.to/3Th3a38] What collapse means and how it could happen soon. Prepping For Collapse [https://amzn.to/3IB2ArQ] How to get prepped for the global collapse of civilization. More information, articles, and helpful links are available on my website [https://wastelandbywednesday.com/] Thanks for watching! #abandoned #prepping #crime