Influx of illegal marijuana linked to Chinese criminal networks

OG Article By By Bridget Erin Craig

September 19 2025

Overview

Illegal cannabis operations linked to Chinese criminal networks are surging in states like Oklahoma, New Mexico, Maine, and Oregon. These activities strain law enforcement and raise national security concerns.

Scale of Operations

• Chinese nationals, often tied to foreign crime groups, enter the U.S. and set up large-scale cannabis farms.

• In Oklahoma, one individual was listed as owning 300 farms, enabled by fraud involving consultants, real estate agents, and attorneys.

• From March 2024 to March 2025, licensed growers reported 7.2 million plants, but only 1.6 million pounds were sold, leaving millions of plants unaccounted for.

Criminal Connections

• Operations are linked to Mexican cartels, human trafficking, theft, and execution-style murders.

• Violence tied to black-market cannabis is rising, with farms often posing as legal businesses.

National Security Risks

• Some cannabis farms are near critical infrastructure, like the McAlester ammunition plant, which stores a third of the U.S. Department of Defense’s munitions.

• Suspicious activities by ethnic Chinese groups near these sites have drawn Department of Defense attention.

Investigation Challenges

• Language barriers hinder communication with Chinese nationals.

• Platforms like WeChat, widely used in China, are inaccessible to U.S. law enforcement due to legal and technical limitations.

Proposed Solutions

• Paul Larkin from the Heritage Foundation suggests a permanent federal task force led by the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and FBI.

• The task force would include state partners, data scientists, translators, and funding to recruit confidential sources.

Political Tensions

• Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) raised concerns about ICE and DHS actions, citing aggressive encounters shown in social media videos.

• Ramirez’s motion to subpoena DHS Secretary Kristi Noem failed in a 5-3 vote.

• Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) called for California to declare a state of emergency over illegal cannabis and pesticides, accusing cartels and China of undermining U.S. security.