From military actions to indulgence in political affairs, Chinese infiltration into other nation’s internal matters have become a common trend. On the one hand, in order to harm the economy of foreign nations, China dumps its industrial products in those countries, destroying the local industries. On the other hand, it uses ‘Debt-Trap’ like economic policies to grasp land in the poor and small countries of the third world. Apart from this, China is also ahead in the world in smuggling of arms and drugs. Where it can’t infiltrate through diplomacy, militarily or economically, Beijing tries the use proxies like drugs smuggling.
These days, the influence of the Chinese mafia over the smuggling of hemp and cannabis in America’s Oklahoma has increased rapidly. Chinese smugglers are active in smuggling marijuana from California to Oklahoma and other areas and are the largest non-American ethnic group involved in marijuana smuggling throughout the United States. The recent incident of violence in Kingfisher area regarding marijuana smuggling has opened the eyes of the entire America.
Investigative agencies warned that the involvement of Communist Party of China cannot be denied as billions of dollars are involved in the business. Apart from this, the Communist Party of China has also been accused of being involved in drug trafficking in Colombia, and other parts of South America in order to increase its income. The largest market for drugs is the United States, where drugs are delivered by smugglers all across the globe. Apart from this, Chinese smugglers are also been active in the Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
According to Donnie Anderson, head of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, Chinese organized crime forces have made significant inroads into illegal marijuana and hemp trafficking in Oklahoma and other parts of the United States. In this illegal drug trade, Chinese smugglers target those Chinese citizens who enter America illegally. Chinese smugglers take them hostage and force them to smuggle marijuana and other drugs. These Chinese smuggler groups even forced illegal Chinese female migrants into prostitution.
Every year, thousands of Chinese citizens leave their country and reach the United States via Mexico and other Latin American countries in search of a better life. In lack of a proper visa, after reaching the USA, they are often been forced in the illegal activities like smuggling and prostitution.
Apart from this, involvement and collaboration of mafias based in both Southern China and USA are one of the main factors behind sudden rise in the drugs smuggling in the city of Oklahoma. It is anticipated that in America, the mafia of New York handles the entire network of smuggling of marijuana on the orders from Southern China. It is well known that many secret services centres of the Communist Party are presented in Southern China.These are known as “Set of Three”. The mafia of South China, New York and field workers are organized in this.
Due to liberal US enforcement, there are no restrictions placed on outsiders investing in hemp farming in Oklahoma.Along with this, the availability of low-cost farming land and favourable environment in Oklahoma also attracted people to invest illegal money in hemp cultivation. Hemp farming has become the second highest money-making sector in the state after oil and gas.
In the year 2012, the cultivation of hemp for personal use was approved in Colorado. Colorado was the first state in the USA to get approval, since then laws regarding hemp started being made in America. The state administration issued licenses for hemp cultivation and imposed controls on the quantity of hemp production. However, this gave space to the black market for marijuana, and Oklahoma quickly emerged as a centre of illegal marijuana supply. Although the illicit price of cannabis has always varied from place to place, state officials estimate its illicit value to be between $18 billion and $44 billion. Investigators revealed that foreign mafias have a nexus with more than 3000 illegal producers in America, of which more than 80 percent of the gangsters are of Chinese origin.
In the past decade, Chinese mafias have become dominant players in the illicit drug trade, particularly with Latin American cartels dealing in substances like fentanyl. Their involvement in the cannabis market has fuelled a massive revenue stream, akin to an extensive global underground banking system. Former senior DEA official Donald aptly described it as a “washing machine” for illicit funds.
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