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Courtesy photos
CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – Driving while intoxicated, whether by alcohol or drug, is illegal. With summer finally here, and little to no COVID-19 restrictions for the first time in over a year, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate, and the police want to make sure these celebrations are done safely and responsibly.
Across Cibola County, throughout the month of July, police agencies will be handling Driving While Influenced/Driving Under the Influence interdiction, which means they’re reigniting their efforts to stop drunk and high driving.
Cibola County Sheriff’s Office
CCSO will continue their efforts to stop drunk and otherwise intoxicated driving. Their efforts include traditional traffic stops if they see suspicious driving, community awareness of drunk driving, and roadblocks when necessary to keep every driver on the road safe.
From saturation patrols to sobriety checkpoints, CCSO will continue their efforts to stop drunk and otherwise influenced and protect the roadways.
Throughout the course of 2021, so far, CCSO has seized over $5 million in drugs and seven firearms while working alongside the Homeland Security Investigations team, according to Under Sheriff Michael Munk. These drug interdiction efforts are part of the sheriff’s work to keep the streets and drivers safe and clear of drugs.
With June 29 becoming known as “Legalization Day” online, it is officially legal to possess and consume marijuana. This change to state law will make DUI enforcement a little harder for agencies to do their work.
Sheriff Tony Mace said that CCSO is expecting an increase in people driving under the influence, the charge will be the same as driving while drunk. Sheriff Mace wants to remind Cibola that just because marijuana is legal to possess and consume, it is not yet legal to sell, and will only be legal to sell with a permit. Marijuana may be legal to possess and consume in New Mexico, but is still illegal on the federal level.
Grants Police Department
Throughout the summer, as they do annually, GPD will be conducting saturation patrols as a proactive solution to the DWI/DUI problems the community faces. GPD isn’t stopping with just saturation patrols, the department will also be conducting sobriety checkpoints throughout the summer, according to a press release from the department.
GPD has been making arrests of known drug dealers and abusers through their Street Crimes Unit, as part of an effort to curb abuse of narcotics and other substances throughout Grants. The work of the Street Crimes Unit has led several local criminals to be arrested.
New Mexico State Police
NMSP conducts saturation patrols regularly, across the whole of Cibola. Through of month of July, these patrols will include sobriety checkpoints, where officers will not only be looking to see if drivers are sober and can legally drive, but also to make sure that vehicle registration is up to date.
NMSP said in a press release that they will have regular sobriety checkpoints across the state.
Cibola Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition
The county’s substance abuse coalition typically puts on events throughout the school year for students to learn the dangers of DWI/DUI, due to COVID-19, those efforts were put on hold, but not stopped. Even throughout the pandemic, dedicated advocates like Lori Vigil, the head of the coalition, continued to spread awareness to students and adults about the dangers posed by driving while intoxicated.
Vigil reminds Cibola County that providing alcohol to minors is a Fourth Degree Felony, and that 65 percent of youth that drink receive their alcohol from family and friends.
Vigil recognizes that parties occur pretty often in the summertime and cautions parents when mixing alcoholic drinks to make sure that the alcohol cannot be accessed by minors in the house. “We need to watch after our kids, make sure we aren’t being bad role models, and make sure we don’t give them any alcohol.”
Vigil urges parents to keep alcohol secured and away from children, along with prescription pills.
“Watch after your kids, watch after your friends’ kids too. If you see them drinking or taking pills, let their parents know. We don’t want to get anyone into trouble but its really important that we keep each other safe,” Vigil said.
“In the long run,” Vigil said, “that kid can get the help they need, and we can save lives. When you drink and drive you can get killed or kill somebody else.”
The Cibola County Sheriff’s Office HSI -Criminal Interdiction Unit has seized over $5,000,000 in drugs and recovered 7 firearms in first half of this year!
Jan 2021-June 2021
7 guns
801 pounds of marijuana
38 pounds of meth
3 pounds of heroin
2 pounds of fentanyl powder
2 pounds of cocaine
35 ounces ounces fentanyl pills
34,662 mg THC vapes
11,850 mg THC candies $65,927 cash
The estimated street value is $5,438,190