It ain't Ma and Pa Kettle trying to put one over on the state
https://www.kxii.com/2022/03/04/okl...d-after-major-marijuana-sting-operation/Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics just getting started after major marijuana sting operation
ARDMORE, Okla. (KXII) - Just over a week since the major marijuana sting operation that took place across Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics says they’re just getting started.
The operation targeted nine farms and three homes where drugs and paraphernalia were being stored.
OBN spokesperson Mark Woodward said that the operation was major success, but its just a piece of a larger puzzle.
“It was just kind of the first phase of a much larger investigation involving a group of individuals that are moving marijuana off of several different farms around central and southern Oklahoma and taking product illegally to the black market in multiple states including Texas, California, Illinois, Indiana, North Caroline,” Woodward said.”
The transportation of marijuana across state lines, violating Oklahoma’s medical marijuana guidelines.
According to Woodward operations like this have become increasingly common throughout the state in recent months, with as many as 90 illegal grow facilities shut down since last April.
And while they’re doing what they can to contain the problem, its having a serious impact on the states legal marijuana business and regular citizens alike.
“They’re hurting the legitimate businesses,” Woodward said. “Many of which have dumped their life saving into their business and are financially unable to compete with the black market. These people are coming in and driving up the cost of property and taxes for land owners by paying exorbitant amounts of money for land so they can grow in remote areas.
We have found evidence where they’re stealing electricity, they’re stealing water, they’re often times bringing in other drugs, we’ve identified human trafficking’s tied to these groups.”Woodward said that of the 90 busts they’ve carried out almost all of them are connected to larger, nationwide criminal drug operations.He believes that while these busts are a positive move in the right direction, more needs to be done to completely eliminate the problem.
“If you just hit one illegal grow they’re going to replace those plants and workers very very quickly,” Woodward said. “You’ve got to dismantle organization and that takes time.”
