Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) –An agreement between Rio Arriba County and tribal officials was announced Monday in an effort to combat the flow of drugs in northern New Mexico. Rio Arriba County Sheriff Lorenzo Aguilar told the Albuquerque Journal his office plans to deputize tribal officers through the memorandum which is meant to strengthen interagency collaboration, enhance public safety, and improve coordinated law enforcement services between the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office and Ohkay Owingeh Police Department. Aguilar told the Journal, Rio Arriba is in a state of emergency because of opioid overdoses. Drug overdose deaths increased 48% in the county in one year. Ohkay Owingeh’s First Lt. Governor Matthew Martinez said drug trafficking is particularly prevalent on Pueblo land, which sits near two highways which he says has been the site of significant drug seizures in recent weeks. He says the agreement is a “major step” toward bringing law enforcement together in a coordinated effort.
