A man has been arrested in Miami Beach, Florida for an execution style murder on a Hennessey, Oklahoma marijuana farm.
Police arrested 45-year-old Wu Chen on November 22 after his car was flagged by a police car tag reader. He allegedly killed four Chinese men and women.
Chen will be extradited to Oklahoma, and will face criminal charges, including murder and shooting with the intention to kill.
Police said that the murder victims at the marijuana farm consisted of three men and one woman, all Chinese nationals.
The shooting at the huge,10-acre marijuana farm in rural Oklahoma, also resulted in a fifth Chinese person being injured.
The police said that Chen entered one of the farm’s buildings in the early evening and hung out with employees at the farm before the shooting spree began.
Police received an emergency call about a hostage situation at the farm around two hours after the shooting started. When Sheriff deputies arrived, they found four people dead.
On Monday, Bureau agents searched for the shooter on the 10-acre property, consisting of over 80 greenhouses, with drones and a helicopter.
The Bureau said that the murders were not random, and that the victims were targeted due to internal disagreements.
Dennis Banther, the Kingfisher County Sheriff, told the Kingfisher Times & Free Press that the five victims and the shooting suspect were employees of the farm and knew each other.
Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana in 2018 and over 10,000 businesses have obtained licenses. It is estimated that one in every ten residents in Oklahoma has a permit to buy medical marijuana.
In May 2022, Oklahoma Governor, Kevin Stitt signed a bill blocking new marijuana dispensaries and stopping all new licenses, because lawmakers are concerned that foreign and out-of-state growers are taking over the commercial sale of marijuana and causing problems for Oklahoma’s overwhelmed law enforcement departments.
Police have reportedly seen an increase in human trafficking victims brought in to work on the marijuana farms.
Next year, Oklahoma voters will decide whether to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
