Going on information from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics that a marijuana growing operation in Lincoln County was illegal, a Special Operations team raided what is an apparently legal operation.
“OBN gave us inaccurate information. Their new system is having problems,” Pottawatomie and Lincoln County District Attorney Allan Grubb said.
Grubb said his Special Operations team checked several times with OBN, and OBN said the operation didn’t have the required license.
Investigators indicated the operation was what they described as a “full blown process, including growing, processing and distribution.”
According to a county permit filed in the Lincoln County Clerk’s Office dated March 23, 2020, name of the operation is Faith Research Labs, LLC and the owner is listed as Rodney Topkov.
It lists its business as 106287 South Quail Valley Drive, McLoud.
An attempt to reach the owner for comments was unsuccessful.
He noted that once the raid began, they further checked with OBN, adding, “We were told they did have a valid license.”
Once Grubb was told the grow operation was legal, he immediately ordered agents and others to cease what they were doing.
“The initial check didn’t find anything,” said Mark Woodward, OBN Public Information officer. “But we found the active license in an old database. Not everything is in the new database yet that went online in the new system on July 1.”
The Special Operations Team had checked on Wednesday, Aug. 11, the day before the raid on the morning of Aug. 12.
Woodward explained that a new system for requesting license information has already been put in place.
“We will have multiple people checking multiple databases,” he said. “Those requests must be submitted in writing under the brand new policy. We already have a new form on our Website. We will no longer accept phone calls requesting that information.
“Our only jurisdiction is with OBN. The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority only has jurisdiction with OMMA and a county is the same within its own county.”
He noted, “Every OBN license has to be renewed each year and has to renewed on Oct. 31.”
A source within Grubb’s office has explained that a grow operation is required to have a county permit, a certificate from the OMMA and the OBN license.
Grubb acknowledged the county permit for this operation had expired, but he added, “I don’t want to be the first DA in the state to cut a $9 million grow operation due to lack of a county permit.”
“Every single grow operation is to have a copy of its OMMA Certificate and OBN license posted at the front gate. So a deal like yesterday (a week ago today) wouldn’t have happened if they were in compliance with the law.
“The OMMA is a regulation, so that’s up to them to enforce. We’re enforcing the laws under Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
“If they’re not in compliance with OBN, it’s completely illegal,” Grubb stated.
He said most grow operations are not posting these certificates and licenses on signs as required.
Grubb also added, “I don’t think we destroyed any flowering plants.”
Asked about OBN’s new process and its impact on his Special Team’s enforcement operations, Grubb explained, “The new process will slow us down. I don’t see how putting it in writing is going to fix the problem. The problem is in the database.
“We always double check with OBN, we check everything four or five time. I want to do things correctly, accurately, and want the people to trust us. It’s our responsibility to double and triple check. And to make sure to instill the public trust,” he said.