CIBOLA COUNTY – A group of inmates from the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility’s work crew discovered a loaded handgun along Interstate 40 on Thursday, marking the third firearm found by inmate crews this year, according to the New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD).
The 9mm handgun, with eight rounds in the magazine, was found hanging from a barbed wire fence near mile marker 91 in Cibola County. The supervising corrections officer immediately secured the weapon and relocated the inmate crew to the transport van for safety.
NMCD’s Security Threat Intelligence Unit and the Cibola County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene, and the firearm was taken into custody by the sheriff’s office. Authorities have not yet disclosed whether the weapon is linked to any criminal activity.
This is the third time an NMCD inmate work crew has uncovered a firearm this year. On January 27, two fully loaded 9mm handguns were found during a routine trash pickup along Interstate 25 near the Santo Domingo exit.
The NMCD has not indicated if these discoveries are connected, but emphasized the importance of security protocols in ensuring inmate work crews handle such incidents safely.