700lbs of marijuana seized from illegal growing operation in northeast Oklahoma
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A massive illegal marijuana growing operation has been busted in northeast Oklahoma!
On Friday, February 20, OBN's Marijuana Enforcement Teams (MET) served two Search Warrants at locations in Ottawa County as part of an ongoing investigation into illegal cultivation and obtaining OBN Registrations by fraud using 'straw ownership' schemes.
OBN MET Agents seized 41,546 marijuana plants, 698 pounds of processed marijuana, 3 people were taken into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and additional arrests are anticipated as this investigation moves forward.
OBN MET Agents were assisted by ICE, Drug Enforcement Administration - DEA, Quapaw Marshals, Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department, Miami Police Department, Miami Nation Police, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Wyandotte Nation Tribal Police, Ottawa County District Attorney’s Office, and Ottawa County Commissioner's Office.
In 2021, OBN established full-time statewide Marijuana Enforcement Teams (OBN MET) to address the escalating presence of criminal organizations setting up marijuana operations in Oklahoma. OBN MET Agents have targeted operations tied to black market trafficking and obtaining an OBN Registration by fraud using 'straw ownership' schemes. At the end of 2022, 8,400 farms were operating with an active OBN Registration. As of today, that number stands at less than 1,400 grows. Since 2022, OBN MET Agents have seized over 2.1 million illegal marijuana plants, more than 250,000 pounds of processed marijuana, and made over 400 arrests with additional arrests pending as many of these investigations remain ongoing.
Citizens can anonymously report criminal drug and human trafficking activity to OBN's tip-line at 800-522-8031 or sending OBN a Facebook DM.
