In a recent series of law enforcement actions, Chinese nationals are involved in illegal marijuana grow operations in the Western region of the U.S., including Nevada.
In October 2022, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) served search warrants on an illegal 22-acre marijuana grow south of Gardnerville. The operation involved 60,066 plants in 160 hoop houses, totaling 123,900 pounds of marijuana.
Although authorities questioned 80 people, including Chinese nationals, only two arrests were made, one for an immigration violation and another for possession of a controlled substance. Authorities also seized the marijuana with an estimated street value in the millions.
A federal memorandum obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation in July 2022 shed light on the involvement of Chinese nationals in illegal marijuana grows within Western states. Chinese nationals with resident status or asylum claims that prevent their removal are heading the operations and are generally associated with foreign organized crime.
The federal memo also highlighted similar activities in Maine, where Chinese nationals, some with legal status, operate illegal marijuana grows estimated at $4.37 billion across 270 suspected operations. Many of the rural areas are also exploited by Chinese criminal organizations that produce and distribute marijuana, with profits potentially linked to Mexican cartels and the fentanyl trade.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified approximately 749 properties linked to Asian (Chinese) Transnational Criminal Organizations nationwide in 2020. Law enforcement efforts in Nevada, including a September 2021 operation in Lincoln and Nye Counties, targeted illegal marijuana grows operated by Chinese nationals.
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