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The accused leader of a billion-dollar illegal marijuana operation will remain in custody without bond after an Oklahoma County judge granted the state’s request to revoke his previous release conditions.
The accused leader of a billion-dollar illegal marijuana operation will remain in custody without bond after an Oklahoma County judge granted the state’s request to revoke his previous release conditions.
RELATED: Accused ringleader of $1.5B illegal marijuana operation booked into Oklahoma County jail
Hao Chen had been released from the Oklahoma County Jail in March on a $100,000 bond. Prosecutors argued Chen posed a danger to the community, and the judge agreed, ordering him held without bond.
SEE ALSO: Accused $1.5B illegal marijuana operation ringleader freed from OK County jail on $100K bond
Chen faces 18 felony counts tied to a multi-county grand jury indictment alleging he led a large-scale black market marijuana network operating across multiple states.
State officials said the investigation, dubbed Operation Blunt Force, resulted in 20 arrests and the seizure of thousands of pounds of illegal marijuana. Authorities also recovered 14 firearms and said four people connected to the operation were deported.
MORE: Oklahoma Attorney General announces multi-state drug trafficking takedown
Prosecutors allege the organization used “ghost owners” to fraudulently obtain licenses for medical marijuana grow operations across Oklahoma.
In a statement on Monday, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the ruling reflects the seriousness of the allegations.
“Today’s ruling reflects the serious nature of the charges facing Hao Chen,” Drummond said. “The court’s decision to deny bond entirely recognizes that an individual accused of running a billion-dollar criminal operation and facing 18 felony counts poses a significant risk to our community.”
Chen’s defense attorney said his client had remained on GPS monitoring without violations while previously released on bond.
The attorney added Chen is “a proud U.S. citizen” who has confidence in the justice system and looks forward to returning to his family.
Chen is expected back in court in the coming weeks, though no hearing date has been set.
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