OKLAHOMA CITY — Law enforcement agencies stopped a massive, international crime ring with deep ties to Oklahoma, according to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
Drummond applauded the work of 27 law enforcement agencies participating in Operation Blunt Force at a news conference.
- The operation investigation started in March 2024.
- A multi-county grand jury issued an indictment in November 2025.
- In January 2026, investigators arrested 20 suspects, including the alleged ring leader, Hao Chen.
Chen is in jail in Rikers Island, New York. The arrest also included eight Oklahomans.
Drummond said this drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering ring used a straw ownership scheme to illegally obtain medical marijuana licenses from the state of Oklahoma. He said the people who paid to lend their identities violated the residency requirement and concealed their growing ownerships.
Drummond, who claims 9,000 illegal operations have been taken down during his tenure, said this fight is not over.
“This was both an interstate and international crime organization, and frankly, we crushed it,” he said. “Let me be clear, we are not done. We will hunt them down and eradicate the cancer from our communities, and we will keep going until every syndication and cartel is driven from the state of Oklahoma.”
Investigators did not disclose the exact locations of these grows, but the investigation involved multiple agencies across Central Oklahoma (Caddo, Canadian, and Kingfisher Counties) and the Lawton and Enid areas.
During the press conference, Drummond was asked how he felt about the legalization of medical marijuana in Oklahoma. To that, Drummond said Oklahoma is the “wild west,” and that we were “asleep at the switch” when it was legalized. He said now that it’s here, we have to find that balance.
In addition to the 20 arrests, Drummond says four suspects were deported.
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