Friday, October 10, 2025
Weed Deep Dive
  • Politics
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Medical
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
Weed Deep Dive
  • Politics
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Medical
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
Weed Deep Dive
No Result
View All Result

Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics Says Their Marijuana industry is Infiltrated by Foreign Nationals

Keegan MacDonald by Keegan MacDonald
September 20, 2025
in Business, Featured
136
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Views: 139

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) will take its concerns to Washington next week, testifying before a Homeland Security subcommittee about the role of foreign nationals—particularly Chinese nationals—in Oklahoma’s marijuana industry and the security risks that come with it.

Deputy Director Brian Surber said organized crime groups from a dozen countries across three continents have infiltrated the state’s marijuana market. He estimates that 70 to 80 percent of Oklahoma’s illegal operations are linked to Asian nationals, most of them Chinese.

“From March through August, ICE joined us on raids and arrested 45 foreign nationals at marijuana grows for immigration violations,” Surber said.

According to OBN, many foreign actors exploit fraud and “straw ownership” to bypass state law requiring farm owners to be Oklahoma residents. In those cases, locals are listed as nominal owners, while out-of-state or foreign investors maintain operational control.

Oklahoma once had more than 8,400 licensed marijuana farms at the peak of the market in 2022—three times the number of retail dispensaries. Since then, aggressive enforcement has cut the number down to just over 2,000.

“You have to bring dump trailers and skid steers just to handle the evidence,” Surber said. “These are massive operations spanning several acres with dozens of grow houses.”

The scale of production has raised red flags. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority estimates the state produces 64 times more marijuana than licensed patients consume. That surplus, Surber said, feeds black market pipelines stretching across the U.S., with much of it tied to foreign-backed grows.

Since July 2021, OBN has seized 1.8 million marijuana plants and more than 200,000 pounds of processed cannabis—equivalent, Surber noted, to “a plant for every two Oklahomans.”

Still, language barriers pose challenges. With only one Mandarin-speaking agent and one civilian translator on staff, OBN struggles to conduct wiretaps and interviews at foreign-operated grows.

Surber said his testimony on Sept. 18 will emphasize the need for federal support to combat what OBN calls a global criminal foothold in Oklahoma’s marijuana trade.

Read the whole article from KTUL here.

Previous Post

Cannabis Tax Cuts coming to California

Next Post

Pharma Billionare Clemens Fischer is Trying to Make a Cannabis Based Opioid Alternative

Keegan MacDonald

Keegan MacDonald

Related Posts

Trump Can Outplay Democrats By Legalizing Cannabis According to Roger Stone

Trump Can Outplay Democrats By Legalizing Cannabis According to Roger Stone

by Keegan MacDonald
October 7, 2025
0

One of President Donald Trump’s longtime advisors, Roger Stone, says the current administration has a unique opportunity to make history...

Trump Weighs Marijuana Rescheduling as Feds Call it ‘Deadly’

Trump Weighs Marijuana Rescheduling as Feds Call it ‘Deadly’

by Keegan MacDonald
October 7, 2025
0

Federal officials are ramping up their anti-cannabis rhetoric even as President Donald Trump weighs whether to reschedule marijuana under federal...

Snapchat’s AI won’t talk about marijuana

Snapchat’s AI won’t talk about marijuana

by Graham Cooper
October 6, 2025
0

It's been interesting over the years to see how large social media companies have been dealing with marijuana content on...

Michiganders Protest Cannabis Tax Hike to Pay For Road Repairs

Michiganders Protest Cannabis Tax Hike to Pay For Road Repairs

by Keegan MacDonald
October 2, 2025
0

The plan, backed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, calls for a new 24% wholesale tax on cannabis sales. Supporters say the...

Next Post
Pharma Billionare Clemens Fischer is Trying to Make a Cannabis Based Opioid Alternative

Pharma Billionare Clemens Fischer is Trying to Make a Cannabis Based Opioid Alternative

Latest

Trump Can Outplay Democrats By Legalizing Cannabis According to Roger Stone

Trump Can Outplay Democrats By Legalizing Cannabis According to Roger Stone

October 7, 2025
Trump Weighs Marijuana Rescheduling as Feds Call it ‘Deadly’

Trump Weighs Marijuana Rescheduling as Feds Call it ‘Deadly’

October 7, 2025
Snapchat’s AI won’t talk about marijuana

Snapchat’s AI won’t talk about marijuana

October 6, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign up for the WDD Newsletter

Categories

  • Business
  • Featured
  • Lifestyle
  • Medical
  • Politics
  • Uncategorized

Recent Posts

  • Supreme Court Once Again Asked to Interject On Another Cannabis Firearm Case
  • Trump Can Outplay Democrats By Legalizing Cannabis According to Roger Stone

Browse by Tag

cannabis covid marijuana ban ncaa

AFFILIATES

© Weed Deep DIve. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Medical
  • Shop

© Weed Deep DIve. All rights reserved.