OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 3, 2026) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced today that his Organized Crime Task Force, working alongside 27 law enforcement partners nationwide, arrested 20 individuals linked to a sophisticated criminal enterprise. The Hao Chen Organization was responsible for approximately one million pounds of marijuana worth $1.5 billion in street value.
The investigation, called Operation Blunt Force, targeted an organization led by Hao Tong Chen that ran fraudulent medical marijuana licensing schemes in Oklahoma from approximately 2021 to 2025. Law enforcement executed more than 50 search warrants and recovered 12 firearms during the course of the investigation. Four people were also deported.
The arrests follow a multi-county grand jury indictment from November, charging 19 defendants with 18 felony counts, including racketeering, conspiracy to defraud the state, document fraud, aggravated manufacturing of marijuana and unlawful proceeds.
According to the indictment, Chen orchestrated a fraudulent "straw owner" scheme that unlawfully obtained Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) licenses and Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBN) registrations for marijuana growing facilities in violation of Oklahoma's residency requirement. The organization recruited Oklahoma residents as straw owners, paid them to use their identities on fake applications, then illegally manufactured marijuana and diverted it to the black market. The investigation revealed Chen had bank accounts with large cash deposits and regular wire transfers from New York, which were used to pay straw owners and other associates of the conspiracy.
“This operation demonstrates my office's unwavering commitment to protecting the safety of Oklahomans and dismantling sophisticated criminal organizations that exploit our state's medical marijuana system,” said Drummond. “These defendants allegedly orchestrated a multi-state criminal enterprise that undermined the integrity of our licensing process and violated the trust of Oklahomans. When criminal organizations divert marijuana to the black market, they put our communities at risk and fund further illegal activity. I am grateful to the 27 agencies across the country that worked together to bring these individuals to justice and make Oklahoma safer.”
The investigation revealed that individuals involved in the criminal activity were located in Oklahoma, New York, Texas, Nevada, California, Colorado, Illinois and Washington. Financial transactions connected to the operation flowed to and from Oklahoma from New York, Nevada, Texas, California, New Mexico, Missouri, Georgia, Illinois, Washington, Oregon and China.
“I am proud of the dedicated work of our Organized Crime Task Force and the remarkable collaboration it made possible,” Drummond said. “This task force was built to take on exactly these kinds of sophisticated, multi-state criminal enterprises, and Operation Blunt Force is a testament to what our team can accomplish when we work together with partners across the country. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect Oklahoma from those who seek to exploit our state for personal gain.”
The investigation and arrests were made possible through the cooperation of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies across four time zones. Both the DEA New York Division and New York Police Department (NYPD) helped shut down the Hao Chen Organization.
“Over the past few weeks, the DEA New York’s Trident Group conducted an operation with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office and our law enforcement partners, which targeted and dismantled a large-scale illicit marijuana grow trafficking operation which is tied to an international money-laundering network. These criminal organizations were not only flooding our communities with illicit drugs, but also using financial schemes to hide and move their illegal profits” stated DEA New York Enforcement Division Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam. “The DEA and our law enforcement partners in New York and across the country remain committed in targeting those drug trafficking organizations and individuals who attempt to gain the system, from cultivation to cash flow.”
“Crime has no borders, and this case shows the lengths criminal organizations will go to fund their fraudulent schemes,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “The NYPD is proud to have worked closely with our law enforcement partners from across the country to take down this sophisticated drug trafficking ring. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners – near and far – to hold criminal enterprises accountable, and we applaud Attorney General Drummond's work to pursue justice.”
Queens District Attorney’s Office in New York also assisted with the operation.
“Unlicensed and unregulated marijuana products pose a serious threat to the communities where they are illegally sold,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “My office was proud to assist the office of Attorney General Gentner Drummond and its law enforcement partners in dismantling an illegal marijuana trafficking operation in Oklahoma, with the alleged ringleader based in Queens County. We will continue to pursue our own investigations while working alongside agencies nationwide to ensure the public is protected from illicit product.”
Other agencies involved include Blaine County Sheriff's Office, Caddo County Sheriff's Office, Canadian County Sheriff's Office, DEA – Houston Division, DEA – Oklahoma City, DEA – Reno (NV), District 5 District Attorney, District 23 District Attorney, District 23 District Attorney Drug Task Force, Edmond Police Department, FBI Oklahoma City, Fort Bend County (TX) Sheriff's Office, ICE, Kingfisher County Sheriff's Office, Lawton Police Department, Midwest City Police Department, OBN, Oklahoma City Police Department, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, Oklahoma National Guard 63rd Civil Support Team, Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office, Shawnee Police Department, Tulsa County Sheriff's Office and Washoe County (NV) Sheriff's Office.
