The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) recently dismantled a major marijuana grow operation in Sapulpa, seizing over 2,000 plants. Another Large-scale operation was shut down by OBN, illegal grow operations have been plaguing the industry in Oklahoma for years. The bust highlighted a significant issue in the marijuana industry: the exploitation of "straw owners" to circumvent legal restrictions.
The Straw Owner Scheme
The operation was led by Ron Mauzey, who used 81-year-old Emma Roach as a straw owner. A straw owner is someone who holds a license on behalf of someone else to disguise the true operator's identity. This tactic is often employed to bypass regulatory requirements and background checks.
Emma Roach's Involvement
Emma Roach, a long-time landowner in Sapulpa, had no prior knowledge or experience with marijuana cultivation. She agreed to let Mauzey use her name for the grow operation because she trusted him, having known him all his life. Roach, who owns the 40-acre property where the illegal grow was situated, stated, "He approached me about getting a grow in my name, and he would foot the bill for everything."
Roach became the nominal license holder while Mauzey handled the actual operations. He even involved Roach's daughter in the business, but tensions rose when he fired her in April. Roach decided to terminate their arrangement, stating, "Whenever he did that, I called him since I was president of the corporation and told him you're fired, and I'm pulling my grow."
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