Authorities: Drug Cartels Targeting Northern New Mexico

Authorities say Mexican drug cartels are becoming a growing presence in parts of northern New Mexico.

The Farmington Daily Times reports that Region II Narcotics Task Force Director Neil Haws says the Juarez cartel has been operating for two years in San Juan County, for example, but that the Sinaloa and Michoacan cartels also have gained ground.

Haws recently told Bloomfield city councilors that members of cartels live in the area with their families and recruit local gang members to sell their drugs to avoid detection.

Haws said cartel members find it easy to import the drugs, mainly meth, via wide-open New Mexico roads and reservation lands.

Farmington officials and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office have been lobbying for a federal magistrate for the area.