OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control on Tuesday led a massive multiagency operation that targeted criminal organizations growing and trafficking marijuana for the black market, agency spokesman Mark Woodward said.
More than 200 state, federal and local law enforcement officers executed search warrants and arrest warrants at a dozen locations across the state implicated in the ongoing investigation, he said.
For more than a year, OBNDD “has been targeting numerous individuals and organizations that have moved to Oklahoma from out of state and used fraudulent business structures and ‘ghost owners’ to obtain their Oklahoma medical marijuana licenses,” Woodward said. “These criminals try to blend into our state’s medical marijuana program while trafficking marijuana onto the illicit market around the United States, laundering money and moving millions of dollars in illicit drug proceeds overseas.”
The investigation identified brokers moving millions of dollars in marijuana from multiple Oklahoma farms onto the black markets in states that have included, but were not limited to, Texas, Missouri, California, North Carolina and Indiana, Woodward said.
Search warrants were executed at nine farms and three residential locations connected to illegal shipments. Woodward said 13 arrest warrants have been issued for people in Oklahoma linked to the investigation, as well as one in California and three in Texas, with more arrests expected as the probe continues.
The OBNDD reported that search warrants were served at residences in Edmond, Norman and Mustang; at two marijuana farms in Wilson, two in Chandler, and at one each in Chickasha, Amber, Ratliff City, Madill and Burneyville. The largest target was an 80-acre farm at Wilson that contained more than 500 structures, officers reported. Eight of the nine farms were licensed with the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA).
An estimated 100,000 plants and thousands of pounds of bulk processed marijuana were seized from the farms during Tuesday’s operation, Woodward said. OBNDD also will file asset forfeiture applications on multiple vehicles, bank accounts, cash, equipment, and at least eight of the properties linked to illegal marijuana shipments and money laundering, the agency reported.
According to Woodward, individuals arrested in connection with the investigation face a variety of charges including aggravated trafficking and aggravated manufacturing.
Suspects in custody on arrest warrants served Tuesday were Shi Yang (lodged in the Stephens County jail), Xiumeng Lyu (Carter County jail), Nan Weng (Canadian County jail), Dean Zheng (Cleveland County jail), and Will Chen (Marshall County jail).
“As these investigations move forward, we plan to file charges on these criminal brokers, business owners, landowners and entities that helped facilitate the fraudulent documentation allowing these criminal organizations to get an Oklahoma medical marijuana license,” Woodward said.
OBNDD Director Donnie Anderson said more of these large-scale law enforcement operations are planned as his agency continues to investigate hundreds of suspected illegal marijuana growing operations around the state.
“We are sending a clear and powerful message today that Oklahoma is not a safe haven for criminals who think they can hide behind a medical marijuana license,” Anderson said. “My agency is committed to aggressively targeting and dismantling these marijuana trafficking organizations that threaten the safety and well-being of our citizens and the law-abiding marijuana businesses in our state.”
Besides the OBNDD, agencies that assisted in the investigation and the raids included the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security investigators, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Missouri Highway Patrol, the District 21 Drug Task Force, Oklahoma National Guard, Iowa National Guard, the Chickasaw Lighthorse Police Department, the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Sulphur Police Department, and sheriff’s departments from Grady, Carter, Lincoln, Love and Marshall counties.
Gov. Kevin Stitt said approximately 140 members of the Oklahoma National Guard were summoned to assist with cleanup of various sites.
“This type of operation was made possible through strong partnerships and collaboration between state and local agencies, and epitomizes the very best of government and law enforcement,” OMMA Executive Director Adria Berry said.
“To our current licensees, let this serve as a warning: If you are engaging in criminal operations, your actions will not go unnoticed. We are joining forces with other law enforcement agencies, bolstering our enforcement and inspection procedures and preparing to implement a seed-to-sale tracking system that will make it even more difficult to take advantage of this industry or jeopardize the safety of our fellow Oklahomans.
“I take our public protection mandate seriously, and have directed my staff to capitalize on any opportunity to take down the bad actors that exist within this industry.”