Latest news with #DinehBenally
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
3 men facing charges in connection to marijuana growing operation in San Juan County
SAN JUAN COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – There's been a sweeping federal indictment charging three men for an illegal marijuana operation. The indictment said the feds seized more than 8,000 pounds of marijuana, firearms, and 43 grams of meth. Dineh Benally, who once ran for president of the Navajo Nation, is currently in custody. They said Benally hired ten Chinese workers. The feds also charged his father, Donald Benally, and California resident Irving Rea Yui Lin. They said the operation had 25 farms over roughly 400 acres in the Shiprock area with roughly 1,107 cannabis greenhouses. The three are also accused of violating the Clean Water Act by putting pollutants in the San Juan River, filling a channel along the river's dam, and installing a sandbag dam along the river. Story continues below National: American Airlines plane, military helicopter collide near DCA, crash into river Crime: 14-year-old killed in robbery attempt, seven teens charged in connection Don't Miss: Lea County using technology to help find lost loved ones who wander away They are facing multiple charges including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana, and manufacture of 1,000 kilograms and more of marijuana. If convicted, they face a minimum of ten years and up to life in prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
2 Navajo men and a business partner are indicted for illegal marijuana grow operations
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a Navajo man, his father and a business partner on charges that they were running illegal marijuana growing operations in New Mexico and on the Navajo Nation to supply the black market. The indictment was unsealed Thursday, a week after local, state and federal authorities raided the home of one of the defendants and two farms in a rural area east of Albuquerque that were no longer licensed by the state. Items seized included 8,500 pounds (3,855 kilograms) of marijuana, some methamphetamine, two firearms, $35,000 in cash, illegal pesticides and a bullet proof vest. The charges against Dineh Benally, 48; Donald Benally, 74; and Irving Rea Yui Lin, 73, of California, include conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute and polluting a protected waterway. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Prosecutors described the alleged operation as a brazen criminal enterprise and asked a federal judge to detain the men pending trial, suggesting in a motion that there was a risk the defendants would flee and that they were a danger to the community. 'The bottom line is that defendants are drug traffickers who operate in accordance with their own laws, so how can anything short of detention ensure the safety of the community or defendants' appearance in this matter," the motion reads. Phone and email messages seeking comment were left Thursday for the defendants. Dineh Benally first made headlines when cannabis farming operations in northwestern New Mexico were raided by federal authorities in 2020. The Navajo Department of Justice sued him, leading to a court order halting those operations. A group of Chinese immigrant workers also sued Benally and his associates. The workers claimed they were lured to northern New Mexico and forced to work long hours trimming marijuana on the Navajo Nation, where growing the plant is illegal. Just last year, New Mexico marijuana regulators revoked the license of the growing operation in Torrance County, east of Albuquerque. Regulators levied a $1 million fine, saying there were about 20,000 mature plants on site — four times more than the number allowed under the license. Inspectors also found another 20,000 immature plants. According to the indictment, the enterprise involved the construction of more than 1,100 cannabis greenhouses, the solicitation of Chinese investors to bankroll the effort and the recruitment of Chinese workers to cultivate the crops. Dineh Benally also is accused of approaching the chief of police for the Navajo Nation in an attempt to bribe him with drug proceeds to allow marijuana to be grown on tribal land. With armed guards securing the farms on tribal land, the indictment alleges, vacuum sealers were used to package marijuana and Chinese workers transported the drugs across state lines. The defendants also are accused of violating federal clean water standards by installing a dam made of sandbags along the San Juan River to help irrigate the crops. Wells also were drilled to access water. If convicted, the defendants each face no less than 10 years and up to life in prison, prosecutors said.
The Independent
30-01-2025
- The Independent
2 Navajo men and a business partner are indicted for illegal marijuana grow operations
A federal grand jury has indicted a Navajo man, his father and a business partner on charges that they were running illegal marijuana growing operations in New Mexico and on the Navajo Nation to supply the black market. The indictment was unsealed Thursday, a week after local, state and federal authorities raided the home of one of the defendants and two farms in a rural area east of Albuquerque that were no longer licensed by the state. Items seized included 8,500 pounds (3,855 kilograms) of marijuana, some methamphetamine, two firearms, $35,000 in cash, illegal pesticides and a bullet proof vest. The charges against Dineh Benally, 48; Donald Benally, 74; and Irving Rea Yui Lin, 73, of California, include conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute and polluting a protected waterway. Prosecutors described the alleged operation as a brazen criminal enterprise and asked a federal judge to detain the men pending trial, suggesting in a motion that there was a risk the defendants would flee and that they were a danger to the community. 'The bottom line is that defendants are drug traffickers who operate in accordance with their own laws, so how can anything short of detention ensure the safety of the community or defendants' appearance in this matter," the motion reads. Phone and email messages seeking comment were left Thursday for the defendants. Dineh Benally first made headlines when cannabis farming operations in northwestern New Mexico were raided by federal authorities in 2020. The Navajo Department of Justice sued him, leading to a court order halting those operations. A group of Chinese immigrant workers also sued Benally and his associates. The workers claimed they were lured to northern New Mexico and forced to work long hours trimming marijuana on the Navajo Nation, where growing the plant is illegal. Just last year, New Mexico marijuana regulators revoked the license of the growing operation in Torrance County, east of Albuquerque. Regulators levied a $1 million fine, saying there were about 20,000 mature plants on site — four times more than the number allowed under the license. Inspectors also found another 20,000 immature plants. According to the indictment, the enterprise involved the construction of more than 1,100 cannabis greenhouses, the solicitation of Chinese investors to bankroll the effort and the recruitment of Chinese workers to cultivate the crops. Dineh Benally also is accused of approaching the chief of police for the Navajo Nation in an attempt to bribe him with drug proceeds to allow marijuana to be grown on tribal land. With armed guards securing the farms on tribal land, the indictment alleges, vacuum sealers were used to package marijuana and Chinese workers transported the drugs across state lines. The defendants also are accused of violating federal clean water standards by installing a dam made of sandbags along the San Juan River to help irrigate the crops. Wells also were drilled to access water. If convicted, the defendants each face no less than 10 years and up to life in prison, prosecutors said.
Associated Press
30-01-2025
- Associated Press
2 Navajo men and a business partner are indicted for illegal marijuana grow operations
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a Navajo man, his father and a business partner on charges that they were running illegal marijuana growing operations in New Mexico and on the Navajo Nation to supply the black market. The indictment was unsealed Thursday, a week after local, state and federal authorities raided the home of one of the defendants and two farms in a rural area east of Albuquerque that were no longer licensed by the state. Items seized included 8,500 pounds (3,855 kilograms) of marijuana, some methamphetamine, two firearms, $35,000 in cash, illegal pesticides and a bullet proof vest. The charges against Dineh Benally, 48; Donald Benally, 74; and Irving Rea Yui Lin, 73, of California, include conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute and polluting a protected waterway. Prosecutors described the alleged operation as a brazen criminal enterprise and asked a federal judge to detain the men pending trial, suggesting in a motion that there was a risk the defendants would flee and that they were a danger to the community. 'The bottom line is that defendants are drug traffickers who operate in accordance with their own laws, so how can anything short of detention ensure the safety of the community or defendants' appearance in this matter,' the motion reads. Phone and email messages seeking comment were left Thursday for the defendants. Dineh Benally first made headlines when cannabis farming operations in northwestern New Mexico were raided by federal authorities in 2020. The Navajo Department of Justice sued him, leading to a court order halting those operations. A group of Chinese immigrant workers also sued Benally and his associates. The workers claimed they were lured to northern New Mexico and forced to work long hours trimming marijuana on the Navajo Nation, where growing the plant is illegal. Just last year, New Mexico marijuana regulators revoked the license of the growing operation in Torrance County, east of Albuquerque. Regulators levied a $1 million fine, saying there were about 20,000 mature plants on site — four times more than the number allowed under the license. Inspectors also found another 20,000 immature plants. According to the indictment, the enterprise involved the construction of more than 1,100 cannabis greenhouses, the solicitation of Chinese investors to bankroll the effort and the recruitment of Chinese workers to cultivate the crops. Dineh Benally also is accused of approaching the chief of police for the Navajo Nation in an attempt to bribe him with drug proceeds to allow marijuana to be grown on tribal land. With armed guards securing the farms on tribal land, the indictment alleges, vacuum sealers were used to package marijuana and Chinese workers transported the drugs across state lines. The defendants also are accused of violating federal clean water standards by installing a dam made of sandbags along the San Juan River to help irrigate the crops. Wells also were drilled to access water. If convicted, the defendants each face no less than 10 years and up to life in prison, prosecutors said.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Years-long FBI investigation into former Navajo Nation presidential candidate
NAVAJO NATION (KRQE) – A massive drug-running operation, running afoul of state, federal, and tribal law. Now the man the feds say is responsible for a 'brazen criminal enterprise' is behind bars after the latest raid targeting illegal pot-growing operations in New Mexico, and the investigation dates years back. A man who once ran for president of the Navajo Nation is now in federal custody after an investigation spanning more than five years, and dozens of marijuana farms across New Mexico. The claims are wide-ranging, from drug trafficking to diverting waterways and even employing slave labor to maximize profits. KRQE is now learning of raids of two farms near Estancia last week, which were part of the latest investigation into Dineh Benally. 'Something we've been working on for several months from the FBI perspective with our partners,' says Raul Bujanda, FBI special agent in charge. New Mexico cannabis industry may soon experience major shift in policy enforcement According to federal court documents, the FBI started investigating Benally and his father Donald Benally in 2019 for growing operations in the Shiprock area. At the time, New Mexico's cannabis laws were more restrictive than they are today. Recreational use was not yet legal but the feds say Benally claimed it was his sovereign right to grow cannabis – a religious sacrament, he said, for native people. The Navajo Nation disagreed and attempted to shut down Benally's operations in 2020 by getting a court injunction to stop him from growing on tribal land. But, according to court records, Benally kept growing. In the following months, the FBI stepped in, raiding 25 farms around Shiprock, uncovering more than 1,100 grow houses, 260,000 live plants, and 60,000 pounds of packaged pot. The FBI also found evidence the farms employed Chinese workers who were paid little to nothing kept in substandard living conditions, and were also used as drug mules. New Mexico cannabis regulators look to establish task force to curb illegal activity Then there was the environmental impact of the operation with investigators uncovering unauthorized wells tapping the San Juan River, as well as dams made of sandbags to harness river water for irrigation. But shutting down those farms, according to the US attorney, did not stop Benally from staying in business. On Friday, the FBI descended on the two farms outside Estancia, which started as legal operations, but as a Larry Barker investigation last year revealed, state regulators revoked their licenses after finding they were violating state laws. Now those farms are shut down and piles and piles of pot have been seized. 'A lot of this is under court order, some people also were arrested,' says Special Agent Bujanda. Benally is facing six federal counts related to drug manufacturing and trafficking as well as polluting waterways. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
