Only a day after Attorney General Gentner Drummond told a U.S. House committee how illegal immigration is fueling criminal activity in Oklahoma, members of his office’s Organized Crime Task Force arrested several foreign nationals in connection with the seizure of a significant amount of marijuana allegedly headed for the illegal drug market.
“As I told Congress last week, the border crisis is imperiling public safety in our state,” Drummond said. “It is unconscionable that Oklahomans continue to pay the price for the failure of the Biden Administration to secure the border.”
Task force agents, in collaboration with several law enforcement agencies, executed two search warrants in Muskogee County on Jan. 11 that led to the seizure. Multiple firearms also were discovered in the search, as well as evidence that led agents to a half-million-dollar marijuana “stash house” in Bixby where they discovered signs of drug trafficking.
Five individuals are facing various criminal charges, including aggravated trafficking, unlawful manufacturing of marijuana, and the possession of firearms in the commission of a felony. Four of those arrested are in the country illegally and listed as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers.
Drummond commended the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, the Muskogee County Sheriff ’s Office, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office and the Bixby Police Department for their help with the investigation.
“The best way to eliminate organized criminal activity in Oklahoma is for agencies statewide to work together with the common goal of driving out these offenders. That is exactly what happened here,” he said. “I appreciate the critical work task force agents and our partner agencies are carrying out in every corner of the state.”
The bust originated with information received on the Attorney General’s Illegal Marijuana Tipline. The form is accessible on the Office of the Attorney General website (oag.ok.gov) and tipsters can remain anonymous.
The task force is working closely with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control (OBN), the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority and other state agencies to investigate all crimes related to illegal grow operations, including human trafficking and the distribution of deadly drugs such as fentanyl.
Drummond was one of three state attorneys general who testified Jan. 10 before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security.