As the year comes to a close, it is fitting to reflect on what we were able to accomplish on behalf of our great state. From battling organized crime to standing against the Biden Administration’s federal overreach, I am immensely proud of how the dedicated men and women of the Attorney General’s Office are working to protect our rights and enforce the law.Fighting crimeMy Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), the first of its kind in the history of our state Attorney General’s Office, has made tremendous strides combating the proliferation of Oklahoma’s illegal marijuana grow operations. Over 2024, the OCTF has charged by indictment or information approximately 55 individuals with more than 200 counts of organized criminal activity such as human trafficking, committing fraud against the State, and unlawful manufacturing and distribution of illegal narcotics. That success is largely due to strong collaboration with our federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners.The nation’s illegal immigration crisis has greatly exacerbated Oklahoma’s scourge of illegal marijuana farms. As I testified before a congressional subcommittee early this year, the porous border under the Biden White House has enabled Mexican drug cartels and Chinese crime syndicates to invade our state for nefarious activities ranging from human trafficking to the peddling of fentanyl and other deadly drugs. That is why I asked legislative leaders to pass House Bill 4156, which allows law enforcement to incarcerate illegal aliens. Although the Biden Administration has filed a lawsuit to prevent this commonsense approach, I am excited that soon we will have a strong partner in President Trump.We enjoyed other successes in the 2024 legislative session. Oklahoma strengthened child pornography laws to account for images created through artificial intelligence. We extended the statute of limitations for rape from 12 to 20 years, lifting it entirely for instances where there is a confession or DNA evidence. In addition, lawmakers made fentanyl manufacturing a specific crime.That law regarding fentanyl is only part of our effort to stamp out Oklahoma’s epidemic of opioid addiction. In 2020, the Office of the Attorney General was tasked with awarding grants for opioid abatement, but no funds had been distributed until I directed my staff to initiate the process. I am pleased to report that the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board this year distributed $12 million in settlement funds to more than 80 cities, counties and school districts to combat this health crisis. More grants will ...
