And another, and another....
Posted on 03/25/2024 4:11:40 PM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie
It may seem like a surprise to many that there could be a confrontation between Chinese gangsters at a marijuana farm on the Oklahoma prairie.But it is a reality that has been commonplace in Oklahoma since legislators opened the state up to the medicalmarijuana business.
As of January 2022, there hadn't been widely reported cases of Chinese gangsters specifically involved in the Oklahoma marijuana business. However, it's important to note that organized crime groups often exploit vulnerabilities in various industries, including the cannabis market. Here are some ways in which organized crime groups, including those with Chinese connections, might become involved.
One such violent confrontation recently took place at one of the hundreds of farms, this one in Lacey, Oklahoma, in Kingfisher County. The attackers were illegal immigrants from China who ransacked the operation, which in the first place was an illegal operation. The actions of state legislators have led to this mess of gargantuan proportions. More from this section US rate cuts 'can and will' start this year if trends continue: Fed chair US rate cuts 'can and will' start this year if trends continue: Fed chair
Organized crime generally has become involved in Oklahoma through a few wide-open gaps in the lack of foresight into what medical marijuana would bring with it. This begs the question:How do you set up a medical marijuana system and allow anyone to apply for a license? Why was the system not restricted to distribution by pharmacists or doctors?
Chinese organized crime gets involved in Oklahoma in five primary ways:
Illegal Distribution Networks: Organized crime groups may infiltrate the marijuana market through illegal distribution networks, smuggling operations, or by setting up illicit dispensaries.
Money Laundering: They could use the marijuana business as a front for money laundering activities, leveraging the cash-heavy nature of the industry to legitimize illegal funds.
Extortion and Protection Rackets: Organized crime groups might engage in extortion or protection rackets targeting legitimate marijuana businesses, especially in regions where law enforcement or regulations are lax.
Cultivation and Production: Criminal organizations might operate illegal grow operations or manufacturing facilities, producing marijuana outside the bounds of state regulations and taxation.
Investment and Front Companies: Chinese gangsters could potentially invest in or establish front companies within the legal marijuana industry to launder money or control legitimate operations.
Chinese organized crime has dominated much of the illicit marijuana trade across the U.S. All of this of course is aided by the current U.S. immigration policy that endangers Americans every day. According to representatives of the state and federal governments, the mobsters collaborate in a loose but well-organized group that is under the control of mafias with roots in southern China and New York. Triads is a term for these criminal organizations that were once a secret society symbol. They have power at home and in the diaspora, and they are said to have an agreement with the Chinese government.
Since Colorado became the first state to legalize marijuana for personal use in 2012, a patchwork of marijuana-related legislation has developed across the country. State authorities generally require licenses and put limits on cultivation, and federal law prohibits interstate sales. But steep taxes on legal products and gaps and differences in laws across states have created the conditions for a massive black market to thrive.
Oklahoma has quickly become a top supplier of illicit weed. Although street prices fluctuate and calculating the value of a black market is complex, officials estimate the value of the illegal marijuana grown in the state at somewhere between $18 billion and $44 billion a year. State investigators have found links between foreign mafias and over 3,000 illegal groups, and they say that more than 80% of the criminal groups are of Chinese origin.
Oklahoma drug agents are fighting back against Chinese organized crime that is linked to the illegal marijuana industry.The violence in Kingfisher County gained national attention, showcasing Oklahoma's position as a new and lawless frontier in the marijuana trade.
During an interview, Donnie Anderson, the head of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, stated that Chinese organized crime has "taken over marijuana in Oklahoma and the United States."
A large number of the victims are Chinese immigrants, many of whom were brought across the border from China illegally in order to work on farms that were surrounded by fences, surveillance cameras, and guards armed with firearms and machetes. These immigrants were forced to work in conditions that were frequently harsh. An unfortunate consequence of this form of indentured servitude is that traffickers coerce Chinese immigrant women into prostitution for the benefit of the management of the agricultural labor force.
"It would be unwise to dismiss the fact that the Chinese state is aware of the activities of Chinese organized crime in the U.S.," Anderson stated, "and to deny any association between the Chinese state and organized crime."
In February, a group of 50 U.S. legislators sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, expressing their concerns about Chinese nationals who are allegedly involved in operating numerous illicit marijuana farms throughout the country. The legislators specifically mentioned their worries about potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
The bipartisan group of lawmakers, which consisted of almost all members of Oklahoma's congressional delegation, inquired about the potential investigation into connections between federal authorities and the marijuana underworld, as well as the amount of illicit revenue that flows back to China.
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice stated that they intend to address the inquiries put forth by the legislators. "The Department is currently focused on developing a marijuana enforcement policy that aligns with federal guidance regarding state legalization initiatives," stated Peter Carr, the spokesperson. One of the key focuses of the federal enforcement policy is to ensure that the proceeds from the illegal distribution of marijuana do not end up in the hands of criminal enterprises, gangs, and cartels.
When asked about Chinese organized crime in the marijuana industry, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., stated in an email that they were not familiar with the details. According to Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson, China is actively engaged in combating drugs, which is considered a universal threat.
In the written statement, Liu emphasized the importance of adhering to local laws and regulations and avoiding any illegal or criminal activities while abroad. The Chinese government is committed to combating drug crimes and actively participating in international anti-drug cooperation. They are dedicated to resolving the drug issue with other countries, including the US, in a proactive and responsible manner.
How can this be? All the potheads and deluded non pot smokers insisted that there would be no more drug crime if we legalized pot.
Probably should have simply legalized marihuana in general and allowed anyone to grow it, possess it and smoke it. Dealing with addiction and wasted lives is easier and cheaper than the way the politicians elected to do it. That’s all even WITHOUT the Chinese Mafia’s involvement.
It only proves the left hates America 🇺🇸.
All i know when i smoke Chinese weed and hour later i wanna smoke some more
Like when tobacco was legal for anyone of any age. The producers of cigarettes owned the TV shows and advertised to get people hooked on tobacco. Even cartoon shows for kids had tobacco advertisements. Here is a Flintstones cigarette commercial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAExoSozc2c
MJ growers are doing what they can to get people hooked.
And another, and another....
I wonder how tough the Chinese gangsters are? If you don’t dare cross ‘em or if you can stand up to them and they’ll run away?
In old days I think their gangs were called Tongs and were like secret societies. At least they were when I watched the Occidental actor(s) play Charlie Chan on tv.
Destroying America any way they can.
Related:
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article207911324.html
Chinese crime syndicate’s alleged pot grows lead to seizure of 100 homes in Sacramento area BY SAM STANTON AND DALE KASLER UPDATED APRIL 05, 2018 9:51 AM
https://www.propublica.org/article/chinese-organized-crime-us-marijuana-market
Gangsters, Money and Murder: How Chinese Organized Crime Is Dominating America’s Illegal Marijuana Market
A quadruple murder in Oklahoma shows how the Chinese underworld has come to dominate the booming illicit trade, fortifying its rise as a global powerhouse with alleged ties to China’s authoritarian regime.
by Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg, ProPublica, and Garrett Yalch and Clifton Adcock, The Frontier
March 14, 5 a.m. EDT
Revenge for the Opium Dens.
Go Choctaws, Creeks, and Cherokees!
That’s a good question.
Showing once again just how stupid the legislature and Oklahoma voters are. Hey let’s grow pot!! We can raise money! No regulations, grow for the nation, export! What can go wrong?
Now we know what all those chinese men coming across the border are up to.
Simple solution my fellow Americans. Don’t do weed or any other drugs that support drug traffickers.
Oklahoma has quickly become a top supplier of illicit weed....
It has always been a common thing to see OK license plates in Dallas, but in the last couple of years I have seen a lot of OK plates in the Houston area. It is a good 5-6 hour drive to Oklahoma. It is probably drug mules.
related...
Chinese gangs are behind THOUSANDS of illegal weed farms across the US - sparking fears that CCP could become new cannabis kingpins [challenging Mexican cartels for supremacy]
Authorities in Oklahoma, Oregon, California, New Mexico and Maine have all been battling a surge in Chinese weed farms, with some thought to be linked to criminal gangs known as ‘triads’.
“Chinese funding for such operations is skyrocketing”
It is not known whether the money is coming from groups connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but experts have pointed out that triads are usually only allowed to operate if they agree to act as informal ‘enforcers’ for the government.
Last year, a Homeland Security memo leaked to the Daily Caller attributed the growth to Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs), with one official raising the possibility that profits are being funneled back to Beijing.
Lol
I actually know some in OKC
hardly Triad
Suburban LA guys who moved ops to OKC to grow mainly for seed market
Economics
They are having a hard go if it
Too much competition in Oklahoma
I agree with you to a point. There are a bunch of us that never voted for any of this crap and have opposed it from before day one.
This is a blight upon this state and our Nation.
Huge problem with this pot in Maine, too.
Voters legalize medical marijuana, then recreational marijuana.
There are now legal pot shops in the state.
However, Chinese nationals have purchased 270 homes, many of them Victorian farmhouses, and turned them into indoor pot farms with grow lights and heat pumps (which are for cooling the heat of the grow lights; the heat pumps make great air conditioners).
Most of these operations are in Penobscot County.
A $4 billion illicit industry. Law enforcement has busted some of these indoor pot farms, but the authorities have
been slow to act.
Lots of info on themainewire.com
Neither did I but a whole bunch of people in Tulsa, OKC, Lawton, Norman and Stillwater did and they had no idea what they voted for because it was never explained, by anyone. Ditto with the rural libertarians. Very few knew how poorly regulated this would be or just how very loosey goosey the permits would be or the limits on distribution. Most would not have cared anyway, they wanted pot. It was the usual fluster cluck for Oklahoma orchestrated by politicians from Atoka that think it is funny or cute or something to do frivolous stupid things like wasting legislative time on things like bigfoot hunting season.
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