It is known that 80-90% of illegal marijuana farms in Oklahoma are linked to Chinese criminal organizations. [Photo=Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics] 

Shocking testimony has been presented at an official hearing claiming that Chinese criminal organizations, suspected of being linked to the Chinese Communist Party, have taken over most of the U.S. marijuana black market. It is being pointed out that transnational organized crime originating from China is moving beyond simple criminality to structurally threaten the legal, public order, and economic systems of the West.

Shocking testimony has been presented at an official hearing claiming that Chinese criminal organizations, suspected of being linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), have taken over most of the U.S. marijuana black market. 

On the 22nd (local time), Rob Rogavin, Associate Director of the DEA's Marijuana Team, stated, "Chinese criminal organizations linked to the Chinese Communist Party control approximately 75% of the U.S. marijuana black market." 

He also testified that the black market is estimated to be worth around $300 billion (approximately 430 trillion won) annually, and that marijuana cultivated within the U.S. is being illegally distributed not only to high-priced markets domestically in places like New York and Florida but also overseas.

75% of U.S. Marijuana Black Market Linked to Chinese Criminal Organizations

Rogavin pointed out that the structure of illegal marijuana cultivation, once dominated by Mexican criminal organizations, has been reorganized to focus on China in recent years. Specifically, he stated that Chinese criminal organizations have infiltrated across the U.S. by concealing illegal cultivation sites among legal facilities, taking advantage of marijuana legalization and relaxed penalties.

During a hearing of the U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee, the possibility of an "alliance" between Chinese and Mexican criminal organizations was also raised. Former DEA agent Christopher Urbano testified, "The Chinese Communist Party is responsible for the majority of money laundering for Mexican criminal organizations, utilizing WeChat and cryptocurrency." The U.S. Department of the Treasury has also officially designated Chinese money laundering networks as one of the world's major illicit financial groups.

Drugs, Illegal Labor, Sex Trafficking, Money Laundering… Transnational Criminal Organizations

The proliferation of such Chinese organized crime is not limited to the United States. On August 5th of this year, Italian police conducted a nationwide crackdown on Chinese organized crime in 25 cities, including Milan and Rome, arresting 13 individuals.

Italian authorities characterized the organization as a "transnational criminal organization linked to foreign governments" engaged simultaneously in drug trafficking, illegal labor, sex trafficking, and money laundering. The Italian Parliament's Anti-Mafia Commission is also investigating potential links between Chinese criminal organizations and the Chinese Communist Party.

The issue of human trafficking within the United States is also intertwined with Chinese criminal organizations. On March 12th of last year, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall revealed that illegal massage parlors operated by Chinese Triads in several U.S. states are becoming hotbeds for human trafficking.

He noted, "As Chinese Triads have combined with Mexican organizations, their criminal activities have expanded to include fentanyl distribution and the operation of illegal marijuana farms."

The Chinese Communist Party is Behind Chinese Organized Crime

Experts universally analyze that the Chinese Communist Party's tacit approval or complicity exists behind Chinese organized crime.

Paul Larkin, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, stated, "China is the most surveilled country in the world, and the claim that the government was unaware of Chinese criminal organizations operating on a large scale overseas is not credible."

The reality of Chinese organized crime, which is emerging simultaneously in the U.S. and Europe, is serious because it goes beyond simple drug and crime issues to pose a structural threat to national security and social order.

There is growing concern that when human and financial networks, controlled and managed under the Chinese Communist Party regime, combine with criminal activities, their impact will be incomparable to existing criminal organizations.

Within the right-wing political spectrum, there is a growing call for the U.S. and Western countries to recognize Chinese transnational crime not as isolated incidents but as a systemic threat and to respond with strong legal measures, such as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

It is a warning that if the spread of crime originating from China is left unchecked, the damage will inevitably spread to the entire free society.

By Reporter Jeong Woo-seok