'Relentless pursuit' touted as law enforcement announces arrests in Eddy County drug busts

Federal and local officials arrested 31 people in a joint operation, targeting a drug operation with believed ties to Mexican drug cartel activity.

The U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration and Eddy County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference Aug. 3 at the sheriff’s office’s headquarters in Carlsbad, detailing the recent activities officials believe disrupted a segment of a drug trafficking network in southeast New Mexico.

Eddy County Sheriff Mark Cage said there were no injuries reported in the arrests, conducted Aug. 2 and Aug. 3 after the investigation was mostly conducted “in the last couple of months” with intelligence gathered months before.

More: NM State Police officer charged with possession of child porn released ahead of trial

Thirteen federal arrest warrants were served, along with 17 state warrants on charges ranging from possession with intent to distribute narcotics, armed robbery and kidnapping.

Of the 1,800 fentanyl pills seized in the operation, 1,700 pills came from a single warrant served on an Eddy County defendant.

Cage said the joint operation, seeing local authorities share resources with federal and state officials, made “a dent” in drug trafficking in the area which he said continued to threaten the safety of local communities.

More: Was your child locked down at school? Here's what Carlsbad schools are doing about it

“It’s something that we continue to struggle with in Eddy County. We might as well be a border town. We continue to see enormous amounts of fentanyl coming across the border,” Cage said. “What gets me is what we’re not seizing. We can only do so much about it. It’s very frustrating. We’re making a dent.”

Assistant Special Agent in Charge James Catalano with the DEA’s El Paso Division said federal authorities tied the group of suspects to drug cartels in Mexico bringing fentanyl and cocaine over the border to the U.S. via southeast New Mexico.

He said cartel operations are known throughout New Mexico, and it was hard to say exactly how widespread the Eddy County group’s ties were.

More: Southeast New Mexico communities move forward on safe haven boxes for baby surrenders

"This organization does have cartel related activity. This is part of that dismantlement of that organization in Eddy County,” Catalano said. “This is a huge problem in this county, in southern New Mexico. It is widespread.”

Among the federal arrests, Aaron Jordan, criminal chief at the Las Cruces Branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office said there were seven indictments handed down and one criminal complaint.

He said federal agencies worked together with local law enforcement to identify and target the worst and most violent offenders within the organization.

More: Lubbock man killed in rollover crash on US Highway 285 north of Carlsbad

“Our collective work this week demonstrates our commitment to protect New Mexico’s communities. There is no hiding from the U.S. Marshals Service,” Jordan said. “Together we will ferret out those who bring chaos and misery to our community.”

Personnel used undercover tactics in their operations, buying large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine and heroin to build evidence against the suspects, Catalano said.

“This was an extremely violent organization with links to the cartels,” he said. “The DEA will continue to aggressively pursue the individuals responsible for bringing these dangerous drugs into the communities of southern New Mexico.”

More: Hobbs man found dead after search at Brantley Lake State Park

Josh Hernandez with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, himself a Carlsbad native, said more than 20 guns were also seized in the operation, illustrating the violent potential of those arrested.

“We’re committed to reducing violent crime in Eddy County and all over New Mexico,” Hernandez said. “The key word here is impact. Operations such as this have a huge impact in communities such as this.”

Cage vowed to seek out and punish violent criminals in his community, but said the Sheriff’s Office cannot do it alone, and needs resources from federal and state agencies to protect Eddy County.

More: Rollover crash kills driver on US Highway 62/180 between Carlsbad and Hobbs

“Relentless pursuit. That is what violent offenders can expect in Eddy County. We’re coming for you, and we’re going to find you,” Cage said. “We bring folks to our community to help us make our community safe. You’re not going to play violent games in my county.”

Sonya Chavez with the U.S. Marshals Service in New Mexico said the operations were largely funded by the DEA’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, which allocates $8 million a year to states and areas known for “rampant” drug trafficking.

“New Mexico unfortunately is identified as a HIDTA community,” she said. “It’s our role to do all we can to bring public safety resources to our communities, particularly to our more rural counties.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Drug trafficking busts in Eddy County touted by law enforcement