OBN Director Warns Congress that Oklahoma has Become a Hub for Chinese Marijuana Trafficking

Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics Director Donnie Anderson testified Thursday before Congress, revealing that illegal marijuana operations, connected to Chinese criminal organizations, are proliferating in the state, posing significant threats to both local communities and national security.

Thursday, September 18th 2025, 10:00 am

By: David Prock

TULSA, Okla. -

The Director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics spoke to a Congressional subcommittee on Thursday about illegal Chinese marijuana grows in the state and the country.

OBN Director Donnie Anderson detailed the size and rampancy of illegal grow operations in Oklahoma and the level of involvement by Chinese criminal organizations..

Anderson told the subcommittee that Chinese criminal organizations are deeply entrenched in the state’s illegal marijuana industry, using licensed farms as cover to traffic drugs nationwide. He said Oklahoma has become a hub for transnational crime, with Chinese groups laundering money and supplying fentanyl precursors in addition to controlling large portions of the marijuana trade.

Anderson said his agency has shut down more than 3,000 illegal grow operations in the last three years, many of them tied to Chinese nationals who exploit Oklahoma’s low-cost licenses and rural land. He warned that profits from these operations are fueling broader criminal networks across the country.

He noted that while his agency is working hard to combat the issue, there are limitations to what they can do.

"Our agency currently employs one Mandarin-speaking agent. However, this is insufficient when suspects communicate in Cantonese or Fujianese, languages that Mandarin speakers cannot reliably translate," said Anderson. "Compounding this issue is the widespread use of WeChat, a Chinese-owned platform for both communication and financial transactions."

Anderson was joined by Paul Larkin of the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies and the Heritage Foundation, and Christopher Urben, the Managing Director of Nardello & Co

Together, they called these criminal groups a threat to national security. pushed for increased enforcement from federal agencies and new legislation to close the loopholes that enable criminal groups to operate.

See the Full Committee Hearing Below: