How Many Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Farms Linked to Organized Crime Have Been Shut Down?

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For the previous two years, the head of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Hazardous Substances Control said Friday, his agency had shut down more than 800 medicinal marijuana farms with ties to organized crime.

Director Donnie Anderson said, “Many of the farms gained their license by fraud, cultivate for the underground markets around the United States, and launder the unlawful proceeds overseas.”

Besides murder, they’ve been tied to human trafficking for both sexual and manual labor.

Over the previous two years, he said, Oklahoma narcotics investigators have made almost 200 arrests related to marijuana investigations and collected over 600,000 pounds of illegal marijuana.

A man was shot and murdered near a marijuana farm in Oklahoma. This is why the shooter will not be incarcerated:

The numbers were released in a press statement by the director, who also discussed recent arrests and the status of the investigation.

Juveniles Jian Lin (age 30) and Jianfa Zhou (age 34) were taken into custody on Thursday.

Authorities conducted searches in Oklahoma City and found the two suspects, in addition to cash, a firearm, and the substance Ketamine.

An agent stated that Lin had more than $49k in cash spread throughout his bedroom and car. Zhou’s bedroom in the same apartment held almost $5,000 in cash.

In a press release, the narcotics department claimed to have discovered and removed two prostituted women from one of the establishments.

A representative for the FBI revealed that they are currently investigating “an Asian organized crime network” that supplies services to multiple medical marijuana farms.

The probe discovered evidence of Asian females being recruited for prostitution “that caters to managers and administrators of several marijuana farms around the state,” according to spokesperson Mark Woodward.

What’s got Oklahoma business owners conflicted about SQ 820

On March 7, voters will determine whether or not to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. As the election draws near, law enforcement authorities have voiced concerns that legalizing marijuana might further jeopardize public safety.

On February 16, Oklahoma’s attorney general, Drew Drummond, claimed that “one of the largest current concerns to public safety is the involvement of Chinese nationals and other aspects of organized crime in our medicinal marijuana market.”

It would be disastrous, in my opinion, to give these crooks a broader customer base.

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