The NM man is Navajo Nation San Juan River Farm Board President Dineh Benally.

New Mexico man who led illegal marijuana grow operation pleads guilty to federal charges

SHIPROCK, N.M. (KRQE) – A New Mexico man who was charged with growing a large amount of marijuana illegally has pleaded guilty to federal charges. Dineh Benally was accused of creating more than 30 farms on Navajo Nation land that covered more than 400 acres. To fund the operation, Benally and other co-conspirators created front companies to get funding from Chinese investors.Those investors were charged cash fees for fake cannabis grow licenses. They were also told they were for hemp, not marijuana, and had to pay the co-conspirators a part of the harvest.

The grow operation built more than 1,100 greenhouses and employed local Navajo Nation workers andChinese foreign laborers, which included undocumented immigrants.

Benally was accused of creating an illegal sandbag dam on the San Juan River and filling in a river channel by dumping sand, rocks, and agricultural waste. This action violated the Clean Water Act. More than 26,000 marijuana plants and 60,000 pounds of processed marijuana were confiscated.

Benally was accused of starting an illegal marijuana grow operation near Estancia. According to officials, Benally initially received a state license to grow marijuana, but state inspectors pulled the license due to multiple violations and gave him a $1 million fine in December 2023. He continued to grow marijuana and even tampered with a utility meter to take electricity.

https://www.krqe.com/news/crime/new-mexico-man-who-led-illegal-marijuana-grow-operation-pleads-guilty-to-federal-charges/

https://www.krqe.com/news/crime/navajo-police-department-investigates-illegal-marijuana-growing-complaints/