U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester | U.S. Department of Justice
Jeff Weng, a 47-year-old from China and Brooklyn, New York, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy. U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester announced the sentence.
Weng and co-defendant Tong Lin, 29, were charged by a federal grand jury on June 6, 2023, with conspiracy to possess marijuana plants with intent to distribute. Following a two-day trial that concluded on January 18, 2024, both were found guilty of drug conspiracy after the jury deliberated for about an hour.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that between December 2022 and May 2023, Weng managed a marijuana grow operation in Wetumka, Oklahoma. This operation was licensed by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority. When Weng was absent, Lin took over management duties. A witness testified about driving delivery vans disguised as commercial vehicles to the Wetumka Grow site multiple times between December 2022 and March 31, 2023. These vans included one disguised as an "Amazon" delivery van. The witness reported transporting between 150 and 200 pounds of marijuana each trip from Wetumka to a stash house in Oklahoma City.
Every Friday, the witness moved marijuana from this stash house to an Oklahoma City warehouse where more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana at a time were loaded into semi-truck trailers bound for the East Coast. Over seven months, approximately 56,000 pounds of marijuana were shipped out of Oklahoma using semi-trucks.
Law enforcement searched the Wetumka Grow site in May 2023 and discovered nearly 20,000 marijuana plants in various stages of growth. They also found over $100,000 in vacuum-sealed cash hidden in Weng's closet attic space and a firearm.
On December 19, 2024, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Weng to ten years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. In delivering the sentence, Judge Palk emphasized Weng's role in what he described as a "significant" illegal marijuana operation and highlighted the importance of deterrence.
Tong Lin received an identical sentence on June 17, 2024: ten years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.
The investigation leading to these convictions was conducted by the FBI's Oklahoma City Field Office with assistance from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative aimed at dismantling high-level drug traffickers and criminal organizations threatening U.S. security through collaborative efforts across various law enforcement agencies.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wilson D. McGarry and David Nichols Jr., prosecuted this case.
For further details on this case refer to public filings.
