A left-hand turn onto Danforth Drive is what finally cracked the case open. Edmond police say an investigation into suspicious drug activity in a newly developed community near Danforth and Kelly culminated in the discovery of roughly 950 pounds of marijuana stashed inside a single home, along with financial records investigators believe point to a money-laundering scheme.
A Turn Signal Violation Leads to a K-9 Hit
According to KFOR, investigators had been looking into suspicious activity in the area and noticed a car making repeated short-term visits to the residence, according to court documents. In late October, officers pulled that car over after it turned left onto Danforth and allegedly crossed multiple marked lanes illegally. Behind the wheel was 38-year-old Qiu Li, and police arrested him after an officer detected the odor of marijuana and a K-9 alerted on the vehicle.
Inside Li's car, officers reportedly found rolls of packing tape and used dryer sheets. Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the Edmond property, which police now describe as a stash house for a drug operation.
Nearly Half a Ton Found Inside the Home
When detectives executed the warrant, they found a significant amount of black trash bags filled with marijuana in mostly heat-sealed plastic containers, per court documents cited in the same report. The confiscated drugs weighed roughly 950 pounds. Investigators also recovered heat-sealing machines, tape, and clear packing bags inside the home.
The home reportedly contained no food and only an inflatable mattress in one bedroom. Police thought nobody was living in the home.
Investigators Turn Their Attention to the Money
As the case developed, investigators began examining possible financial crimes tied to the operation, according to court documents. A new search warrant, this one for Li's actual home, turned up financial documents showing large amounts of money in a bank account. That account, officers found, was tied to a company Li allegedly works at — Li reportedly told police he works at Claw Machine, according to court documents.
Investigators believe the business is an illegal front used to launder drug money through the bank account and out to other financial institutions, the same report states.
Charges Submitted, Case Now With Prosecutors
Li was booked into the Oklahoma County Jail but has since bonded out. Edmond Police have submitted charges to the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office, though the specific charges sought have not been disclosed, and it is not yet clear whether prosecutors have filed them.
The bust adds to a string of large marijuana seizures reported across Oklahoma this year. In Grady County, deputies serving a search warrant at a property near Alex found 877 pounds of marijuana valued at approximately $745,000, according to KOKH, a case that also led to four arrests. Separately, a federal case detailed by KOSU accused 51 people of running a scheme to grow and distribute illegal cannabis, with four defendants accused of funneling product through two stash houses in Edmond where distributors picked it up in bulk — a case the dossier does not connect to Li's arrest.
State enforcement data underscores just how much marijuana has moved through Oklahoma in recent years. The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics established its Marijuana Enforcement Teams in 2021 specifically to investigate trafficking, money laundering, and fraud connected to the state's medical marijuana program, according to News 9. Those teams have since seized more than 3 million marijuana plants and 300,000 pounds of processed marijuana, with more than 450 arrests. Licensed marijuana farms in the state peaked at more than 9,400 in December 2021 before regulators cracked down, according to reporting from ProPublica, and the number of grow operations with active state registrations has fallen from roughly 8,400 in 2022 to 1,275 most recently.
