Oklahoma targeting unlicensed marijuana cultivators, grows

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Oklahoma’s drug enforcement agency is ramping up large-scale operations to eradicate illegal marijuana cultivation operators and grow sites.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) said it served nearly a dozen search warrants over the past few weeks, resulting in at least 20 arrests and the seizure of:

  • 79,157 illegally cultivated plants.
  • 3,139 pounds of processed illegal marijuana.
  • 16 firearms.

OBN spokesperson Mark Woodward said in a statement that the targets of the investigations face several charges, including drug trafficking, aggravated manufacturing, unlawful cultivation and acquiring proceeds from drug activity.

Woodward said the investigations highlight the agency’s focus to aggressively target unlicensed operators in the state’s medical marijuana program.

“For over two years, OBN has identified numerous individuals and organizations that have moved to Oklahoma from out of state and used fraudulent business structures and so-called ‘ghost owners’ to obtain their Oklahoma Medical Marijuana licenses,” Woodward said.

In February, for example, the agency seized roughly $500 million of illicit marijuana.