Drugs are believed to be pouring in from Mexico as Border Patrol officers are forced to turn their attention to migrants, the Washington Examiner is reporting.
Seven highway checkpoints in the southern New Mexico region are now unattended. Border Patrol closed them in March and moved personnel to the border to deal with the high number of migrants, the Examiner said.
The checkpoints normally seize seven figures worth of drugs a year. And officials in Doña Ana and Otero counties are worried that no one is there to seize the illegal substances being transported north to cities like Denver and Oklahoma.
In the past, vehicles looking to traverse those counties would be subject to a sniff test by K-9 officers. In addition, the legal status of the occupants would be checked,
Now officials fear drug runners can freely move up and down the highways, according to the Examiner.
“With our checkpoints being closed down there’s no secondary measure of defense, and they’ve got a green light to take drugs right into the heart of America,” said Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin.
Some are worried that increased drug trafficking could spark more crime.
Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima said four of five recent shootings were drug-related, but could not be traced to the checkpoints closing.
“I cannot definitely say the checkpoints are closed down so our crime is going up,” said Otero County Sheriff David Black. “I can’t do that just yet, but I think that’s gonna come a little further down the road,"
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