Survivor of mass shooting at Oklahoma marijuana farm arrested

Nolan Clay, Oklahoman
·2 min read
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In this screengrab from a deputy's body-worn camera, Kingfisher County sheriff deputies and narcotics agents search a marijuana farm near Hennessey on Nov. 21, the day after a quadruple homicide.
In this screengrab from a deputy's body-worn camera, Kingfisher County sheriff deputies and narcotics agents search a marijuana farm near Hennessey on Nov. 21, the day after a quadruple homicide.

KINGFISHER — The survivor of the mass shooting at an Oklahoma marijuana farm was arrested Wednesday as a result of an investigation into the legality of the operation.

Yifei Lin, 44, is accused of conspiring to commit fraud against the state and illegally manufacturing and trafficking marijuana. He is listed in state records as a 25% owner of the farm 15 miles west of Hennessey.

Four people were fatally shot inside a building at the farm Nov. 20. Lin was wounded.

He was the first victim found by Kingfisher County sheriff deputies when they responded to a call about a possible hostage situation. He was inside a pickup truck

"Are there other people inside?" a deputy asked him, according to body-camera video released by the sheriff.

"Yeah," he said in a strained voice.

More:Oklahoma marijuana farm where 4 workers were killed one of 63 tied to 'accountant'

His arrest came as he was being released from a hospital and after narcotics agents concluded he had used a straw owner to get around Oklahoma licensing laws.

"Yifei Lin knowingly signed documents which allowed for the fraudulent obtaining of a marijuana license and registration for a ten-acre farm, more commonly known as Lu & Chen Inc.," a narcotics agent told a judge in an arrest affidavit.

Narcotics agents identified the straw owner as Richard Ignacio of Bethany. He told agents Nov. 21 that he has made $100,000 over the last two years from the marijuana farms where he lent his name in order to fraudulently obtain licenses and registrations, according to the affidavit.

"He stated he did so for six different farms located throughout the state," the agent wrote.

A Kingfisher County sheriff vehicle sits Nov. 21 at the scene near Lacey, Oklahoma, where four people were killed. State police in Oklahoma say that four people killed at a marijuana farm were "executed," and that they were Chinese citizens.
A Kingfisher County sheriff vehicle sits Nov. 21 at the scene near Lacey, Oklahoma, where four people were killed. State police in Oklahoma say that four people killed at a marijuana farm were "executed," and that they were Chinese citizens.

"Ignacio did not invest money or resources into the marijuana grows and told agents that he was listed on the license since the actual owners were not eligible," according to the affidavit.

Lin could not get a grow license and registration by himself in 2020 because he had not lived in Oklahoma two years at the time.

His defense attorney said Thursday that Lin was defrauded by the people he hired to set up the licenses.

"We maintain our innocence, obviously," the attorney, Clay Curtis, said.

Lin was being held Thursday in the Kingfisher County jail.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control on Nov. 21 seized 1,971 pounds of processed marijuana and 4,675 plants from the farm.

Lin also is accused of involvement in a shooting in Oklahoma City in 2020.

He was charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon after the 2020 shooting. He also was charged with drug trafficking after marijuana was found in an Edmond house where he had stayed.

Before the Nov. 20 incident, Lin was free on bond and still running the farm while the 2020 case was pending.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Survivor of mass shooting at marijuana farm has been arrested