Oklahoma City restaurant raided with drugs, firearm seized and 16 in ICE custody
A seafood restaurant in northwest Oklahoma City was raided overnight, leading to the seizure of drugs, a firearm, and the detention of 16 individuals by ICE.
OKLAHOMA CITY —
Authorities raided a seafood restaurant on Northwest 23rd Street in Oklahoma City overnight, seizing drugs, a firearm, and detaining 16 individuals as part of an investigation into organized crime.
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Mark Woodward, spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, said investigators found “trafficking amounts of methamphetamine, ketamine, and also ecstasy. And we did seize one firearm.”
Sixteen individuals were taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody during the operation.
“We did end up having 16 people taken into the custody of ICE, and they will handle that part of it,” Woodward said.
Officials said the raid is part of a broader investigation into alleged organized crime.
“A very complex conspiracy organization that’s involved — what our evidence shows is drug trafficking, money laundering, and also potentially human trafficking,” Woodward said.
Investigators also uncovered connections to black-market marijuana farms.
“Some of the people that we’re investigating have ties to black-market marijuana farms. They’re moving marijuana out of the state and laundering money. But a lot of those people have ties to this particular establishment,” Woodward said. “The aim is to identify and unplug everybody that’s tied to the organization.”
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When KOCO 5 visited the restaurant Friday afternoon, the open sign was on, but the doors were locked. The investigation remains active and ongoing.
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