Dineh Benally began his scheme to develop a large illegal hemp and marijuana cultivation operation in 2018 in his home community of Shiprock, New Mexico, according to court documents. By 2020, the operation had expanded to 30 farms covering more than 400 acres, complete with grow houses and living facilities for workers.

During the time his operation was active, marijuana was illegal in both New Mexico and on the Navajo Nation. That changed in 2021 when New Mexico legalized recreational marijuana, though it remains illegal on the Navajo Nation. In November 2020, authorities seized roughly 260,000 marijuana plants and 60,000 pounds of processed marijuana.

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