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A startling exposé by ProPublica has revealed the pervasive influence of Chinese organized crime within the illegal marijuana trade in the United States. Many victims of the drug trade are smuggled acorss the southern border.

The investigation highlights a series of drug-related incidents currently unfolding in Oklahoma, including a violent shootout by a Chinese immigrant at a marijuana farm in Kingfisher County, resulting in the tragic loss of four lives.

According to Donnie Anderson, Director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Chinese criminal syndicates have "taken over marijuana in Oklahoma and the United States,” per ProPublica. Many victims of the drug trade are Chinese immigrants who have been smuggled across the southern border to work on cannabis farms in abusive conditions.

The farms are ringed by fences and guarded by armed security. Immigrant women too, are exploited and forced into prostitution after being smuggled to the US.

Oklahoma, in particular, has emerged as a focal point for illicit marijuana production and distribution following the legalization of medicinal marijuana in 2018. The lack of stringent regulations and lax enforcement have emboldened criminal elements, transforming the state into a breeding ground for criminal activity.

Authorities have explained that the black market for marijuana continues to thrive due to the differentiation of the drug’s legality by state along with the high taxes placed on the product at dispensaries. The staggering economic toll of this illicit trade is estimated to range from $18 billion to $44 billion annually in Oklahoma alone.

“The profits from the marijuana trade allow the Chinese organized criminal networks to expand their underground global banking system for cartels and other criminal organizations,” former senior DEA official, Donald Im, told ProPublica.

The most shocking revelation of this exposé is that these Chinese criminal syndicates are believed to have strong ties to the Chinese government. According to ProPublica, the Chinese government is offering protection to these Chinese mafias in exchange for money to be sent overseas to fund the community party. These mafia members also spy on and intimidate Chinese communities in the US on behalf of the Chinese government.

Last February, 50 US legislators signed a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland expressing concerns about Chinese immigrants in the US who have “potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party,” and are “reportedly operating thousands of illicit marijuana farms across the country.”

In response to these allegations, the Department of Justice has stated that it is investigating the matter.

“The Department is working on developing a marijuana enforcement policy that will be consistent” with federal guidance related to state legalization initiatives, said DOJ spokesperson, Peter Carr. “Among the federal enforcement priorities under that policy is preventing the revenue from the illegal distribution of marijuana from going to criminal enterprises, gangs, and cartels.”