United States Drug Enforcement Administration

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – A federal indictment has been unsealed, charging 51 defendants across 67 counts for their roles in a conspiracy to manufacture black-market marijuana in Oklahoma and then distribute it throughout the United States, including Texas, Mississippi, Kansas, and North Carolina.

In a coordinated takedown late last week, more than 100 law enforcement personnel executed arrest warrants involving 51 defendants from Oklahoma, Texas, New York, North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, Kansas, Mississippi, and California. Of the indicted targets, 28 have been arrested and 23 remain fugitives. A full list of defendants is attached, including at least 29 from China, some of whom have permanent legal resident status. 

In addition to the arrests, law enforcement executed 22 search warrants in Oklahoma, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Stephens, Payne, and Okfuskee County, as well as in Michigan and Kansas. As a result of the searches, approximately 61,000 marijuana plants and 550 kilograms of processed marijuana were seized by law enforcement. During the execution of the warrants, approximately 13 non-citizens in addition to the 51 defendants charged were identified and turned over to immigration officials. 

“This investigation targeted a criminal organization that was producing and trafficking large quantities of marijuana across state lines, under the guise of a state-licensed operation,” said Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Dallas Field Division Special Agent in Charge Joseph B. Tucker. “The DEA, working with our federal, state, and local partners, will continue to identify, disrupt, and dismantle these networks to protect our communities and hold accountable those who prioritize profit over law.”

“This case underscores the threat posed by nationwide criminal organizations that exploit Oklahoma’s marijuana laws to produce and distribute large quantities of black-market marijuana across the country,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “Working alongside our federal, state, and local partners, my office remains committed to taking down these organizations and those who run them.”

“We can’t overstate the impact and importance of these types of operations. Since 2021, when our agency created Marijuana Enforcement Teams (MET), we’ve proudly worked alongside our federal and state partners to target criminal organizations operating in Oklahoma,” said Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control Director Donnie Anderson. “These partnerships have resulted in a dramatic drop in illegal marijuana farms within our state.” 

Summary of Charges

According to the indictment, from March 2025 through April 2026, a network of marijuana grow owners, brokers, transporters, and distributors worked together to facilitate the conspiracy. The indictment alleges that grow owners manufactured massive quantities of marijuana for distribution on the black-market, both within the state of Oklahoma and across the United States. Black-market marijuana farms, including grows in Stillwater, Hennessey, and Paden, diverted marijuana into the illicit market.

It is alleged that the grow owners often worked with brokers, who coordinated efforts among the grow owners, transporters, and customers to further distribute the black-market marijuana. The marijuana would be transported from black-market grow facilities to stash houses that brokers controlled, and to customers for further distribution—all at the direction of the brokers and grow owners.  

As alleged in the indictment, brokers and occasionally grow owners coordinated with distributors to arrange for the transportation of black-market marijuana back to their home state for further distribution to customers. Several defendants shared in the proceeds of the illegal distribution and took steps to conceal those proceeds by transporting large amounts of cash and using businesses to disguise the nature of the funds.

The conspiracy was carried out, in large part, with cellular phones. And, as alleged in the indictment, law enforcement intercepted calls of two of the main conspirators—LI SHUN CHEN, 53, and YING WANG, 45, both of Oklahoma City.

All 51 defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury on April 21, 2026. In addition to the criminal charges alleged, the indictment also seeks the forfeiture of multiple properties and other assets which were either used to facilitate or represent the proceeds of the unlawful activity, including real property throughout Oklahoma located in the following areas:

The public is reminded that these charges are merely allegations, and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Acknowledgements

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

This specific investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration Oklahoma District Office and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control with assistance from the following agencies: 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

• United States Marshals Service
• FBI Oklahoma City Field Office
• Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations
• Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office
• Oklahoma City Police Department
• Oklahoma Highway Patrol
• Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office
• National Guard Counterdrug Program
• Arkansas State Police
• Texas Department of Public Safety
• Duncan Police Department
• McClain County Sheriff’s Office
• Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office
• Okfuskee County Sheriff’s Office
• Kingfisher County Sheriff’s Office
• Payne County Sheriff’s Office

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth M. Bagwell, Drew E. Davis, and Bow Bottomly are prosecuting the case.