State police have destroyed tens of thousands of pounds of marijuana plants at greenhouses in northwestern New Mexico, according to officials, marking the greatest cannabis seizure and destruction in the state since new possession and cultivation regulations went into effect in 2021.
Authorities revealed the operation on Monday, announcing the assignment of dozens of agents to destroy the plants in October. The state Cannabis Control Division had begun the process of canceling NNK Equity LLC’s license after filing a noncompliance and default order earlier this year.
The company was accused of neglecting to post its licenses on site, failing to get water rights for growing, lacking cameras to monitor particular portions of its operation, and violating sanitation and health regulations.
New Mexico State Police Chief Troy Weisler said in a statement, “The organization involved demonstrated a blatant disregard for the laws of this state, which we will prove once this investigation is complete.”
Jacob Candelaria, an Albuquerque attorney for NNK Equity, contested the state’s assertions and accused regulators and state police of violating his client’s civil rights. He claimed that the state neglected to serve adequate notice of its plan to withdraw the company’s license and then denied a request for a hearing on the merits of the case.
He stated that his customers, Irving Lin and Bao Xue, speak Mandarin Chinese and have little understanding of written English. Lin requested a Chinese translation, but the lawyer said authorities did not respond.
The Cannabis Control Division argued in legal files that it followed notice and hearing requirements and provided the corporation with due process rights.
According to Candelaria, the company intends to petition a state district judge to overturn the license revocation order and urge state regulators to hold a hearing. He stated that NNK Equity intends to sue the state for damaging hundreds of thousands of dollars in private property.
“The idea that law enforcement officers can destroy public property based upon a temporary restraining order—which can be entered without notice to all parties and before a hearing on the evidence—which was the case here—should concern all of us who believe in the Constitution.”
According to state regulators, NNK Equity received a license in December 2023 to cultivate marijuana on a property in Waterflow, a rural area on the Navajo Nation’s outskirts and just south of the Colorado border. The region also made headlines earlier this year when state officials shut down two additional enterprises, prompting Navajo Nation authorities to file their own charges against two tribal members.
In the most recent case, the Cannabis Control Division conducted a compliance check in June and found that NNK Equity had exceeded its permitted plant count. After calling in the New Mexico State Police Special Investigations Unit, they discovered plants at a second, unlicensed location.
The infractions identified by state inspectors also include transportation and tracking regulations, such as assigning unique numbers to each facility.
