OKLAHOMA CITY – JEFF WENG, 47, of China and Brooklyn, New York, has been sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On June 6, 2023, a federal grand jury charged Weng and co-defendant Tong Lin, 29, with conspiracy to possess marijuana plants with intent to distribute. On January 18, 2024, after a two-day trial, a federal jury deliberated about an hour before it found Weng and Lin guilty of drug conspiracy.
Between December 2022 and May 2023, evidence at trial indicated that Weng managed a marijuana grow in Wetumka, Oklahoma, and licensed by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority. Evidence showed that Lin managed matters when Weng was not present. One witness testified that, as part of their participation in the drug conspiracy, they drove delivery vans disguised as commercial vehicles, including one disguised as an “Amazon” delivery van, to the Wetumka Grow 10 to 15 times between December 2022 and March 31, 2023. The witness further testified that they picked up between 150 and 200 pounds of marijuana each time from the Wetumka Grow, and that Lin helped load the fake “Amazon” delivery van with marijuana. The witness testified they transported the marijuana to a stash house in Oklahoma City. Every Friday, the witness transported the marijuana from the stash house to a warehouse in Oklahoma City. There, they loaded more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana at a time into a semi-truck trailer, which transported the marijuana from Oklahoma to the East Coast. Over approximately seven months, the witness shipped upwards of 56,000 pounds of marijuana out of Oklahoma via semi-truck. Evidence also showed that law enforcement searched the Wetumka Grow in May 2023 and located 19,661 marijuana plants in various stages of growth, more than $100,000 of vacuum-sealed cash hidden in Weng’s closet attic space, and a firearm.
At the sentencing hearing on December 19, 2024, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Weng to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Palk noted the role Weng played in a “significant” illegal marijuana operation, and the need for deterrence. On June 17, 2024, Lin was sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, along with assistance from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. It is also a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wilson D. McGarry and David Nichols, Jr. prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to public filings for additional information.
