Captain Valerie Littlejohn, Public Information Officer for the Oklahoma City Police Department, this week told Federal Newswire that cartels are transporting narcotics in and through Oklahoma City. They also facilitate human trafficking activities and use individuals as workers to pay off debts to the cartels, she said. Littlejohn shared the information with Federal Newswire on April 2.
"Drug cartels provide an endless supply of various narcotics and workers into our country," said Littlejohn. "The highway systems that flow through Oklahoma City contribute to large amounts of narcotics being transported through our jurisdiction."
According to Littlejohn, Mexican drug cartels frequently funnel narcotics into American cities, including Oklahoma City, often using "workers" to distribute the drugs.
"Often, individuals located are here to pay a real or believed debt," she said. She noted that prosecution is "challenging" because victims are often reluctant to testify in court or possess "little information,” she said.
On the subject of human trafficking, Littlejohn said "collaborating with services and resources whose goal is to assist victims of human trafficking is vital to getting them to a safe environment and can assist with the investigative process and obtaining cooperation from the victim.”
She also said that "legislative support" could aid officers in better tracking down human traffickers and rescuing victims.
According to Southwest Ledger News, Oklahoma is a popular state for international crime organizations, including Mexican drug cartels. In a June 2023 article, Attorney General Genter Drummond stated that Oklahoma serves as "the distribution network for the United States.”
Drummond identified Chinese drug organizations, Mexican cartels such as the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, and a Cuban cartel operating in Oklahoma. He said the criminal groups are involved in "human trafficking, sex trafficking, fentanyl, and other stuff.”
Fentanyl precursors arrive from China into Mexico where the cartels transport it up to the border and into Oklahoma. Once in the state, it is "manufactured in pill form and passed out."
The Oklahoma City Police Department covers 700 square miles, is divided into 2,500 police reporting districts, and comprises 1,169 officers and 300 civilian staff.
