A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for the owner of two Lincoln County marijuana growing operations after his facilities were seized and shut down in February.
A formal charge was filed Feb. 25 in Lincoln County District Court against Dean Zheng, 51, of Chandler of trafficking in illegal drugs and a $20,000 warrant was issued at that time.
Zheng and his attorney Elton Jenkins appeared March 4 before Judge Mueller. At that time she set the matter for March 17 and ordered that his $20,000 bond remain as previously set.
She has scheduled his preliminary hearing for 1:30 p.m. on June 24.
Judge Mueller held his pre-preliminary hearing on May 12.
Two marijuana growing operations in Lincoln County were among a dozen locations across Oklahoma where search warrants were served, facilities shut down and plants were seized Feb. 22.
The charge accuses Zheng of on around Jan. 10, 2022 of knowingly possessing and distributing to two persons 60 pounds or more of processed marijuana at a location known as Green Princess Farm located in Lincoln County.
A member of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division, Capt. Chuck Brewer, in an affidavit said he assisted the OBN in the execution of search warrants at the listed addresses of 339250 E. 890 RD and 339243 E. 890 Roads in Lincoln County.
He said Zheng has been under investigation by the OBN for several months. Dean Zheng is the registrant license holder and owner of both locations. The first marijuana cultivation farm, known as Green Queen Farms is located at 339243 E. 890 Road.
That operation is located on the south side of 890 Road, it’s stated in the affidavit. The second is known as Green Princess Farms and is located on the north side of the road.
It’s pointed out in the affidavit that during the course of OBN’s investigation into illegal, “black market” marijuana trafficking, by licensed and registered medical marijuana grows in the state of Oklahoma, OBN uncovered evidence that Zheng and other co-conspirators were engaged in interstate drug trafficking and using marijuana from Zheng’s two grows to ship out of state.
In the affidavit, it says that on Jan. 10 shortly before 3:45 p.m., OBN agents were conducting surveillance on both of Zheng’s listed grow sites. Agents observed people going back and forth between the two grow sites.
An agent reported seeing two vehicles exit the Green Princess Farm. The first vehicle was a silver Ford Raptor with a California license plate and the second vehicle was a white Toyota Land Cruiser, also with a California license plate.
According to the affidavit, OBN agents followed the Toyota Land Cruiser continuously all the way from the grow site to Joplin, Mo., area where, at the OBN’s request Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers stopped the vehicle and during the course of their stop, recovered approximately 60 pounds of marijuana.
The affidavit states the traffic stop demonstrated that Zheng’s grows were facilitating interstate drug trafficking.
Search warrants were obtained by an OBN agent from a Lincoln County judge for both of those grow facilities.
On Feb. 22, OBN agents along with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office executed those warrants. More than 15,000 plants were seized along with more than 100 pounds of processed marijuana flower. The amount of processed marijuana recovered exceeds the trafficking threshold of 25 pounds and the number of plants exceeds the threshold of aggravated manufacturing of 1,000 plants, the affidavit notes.
As those warrants were being executed, Zheng was located at his residence in Norman by OBN and the District 21 Task Force and he was taken into custody on an outstanding felony warrant and booked into the Cleveland County jail. The OBN led the massive operation that included multiple agencies, among them the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
OBN Spokesman Mark Woodward reported at the time more than 200 law enforcement officers, including state, federal and local executed search warrants and arrest warrants.
Woodward stated that around 100,000 plants were seized and thousands of pounds of bulk processed marijuana was confiscated during last week’s operation.
Woodward says Search warrants were served at nine farms and three residential locations connected to these illegal shipments. Woodward says 13 arrest warrants have been issued for people in Oklahoma linked to this investigation, along with one in California and three in Texas, with more arrests expected as the investigation continues.