Deputies Bust Small Pot Farm

By John Larson
SOCORRO – Deputies from the Socorro County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from District 1 Drug Task Force agents in Valencia County, confiscated 15 marijuana plants found in a makeshift greenhouse on Highway 47 in northeast Socorro County on Friday, Aug. 21.
Sheriff Phillip Montoya said Deputy Chris Pino lead a search on a residence Friday morning at about 9 a.m.
The marijuana seizure came as the result of an incident the night before – a domestic violence call.
According to Pino, the Valencia County Sheriff’s Department got the call from a woman at 9 p.m. Thursday from a telephone near the Rio Communities fire station, who reported that she was a victim of domestic violence, and that as she was leaving, “she heard gunshots, and was worried that he may have shot himself.”
Valencia County officers found that the residence was actually in Socorro County, and contacted Socorro County.
“Actually the driveway – it’s a long driveway – was in Valencia County, but the residence was in Socorro County,” Montoya said.
The suspect fled before Region I Narcotics agents and Valencia County deputies arrived, and during a protective sweep of the residence the plants were discovered.
“A protective sweep is done by entering the residence to make sure of the safety and well being of any occupants. In this case, the caller was afraid the suspect might have harmed himself,” Pino said. “In any case, the woman had evidence of being battered.”
The following morning Socorro deputies were able to obtain a search warrant based on what was observed, and returned to the residence.
“We found 15 marijuana plants growing in a makeshift greenhouse connected to the residence,” Pino said. “They averaged about 12 feet tall.”
The suspect, whose name has not been released by the Sherriff’s office, is currently at large.
“The suspect actually called the residence while the officers were there Thursday night, and made threats that he was going to shoot the deputies,” Pino said. “I will find them and shoot [the Valencia County deputies], he told them.”
Also found in the double wide was a baggie containing about three ounces of marijuana, scales and other paraphernalia.
The marijuana plants will be tested by the state’s crime lab, and then destroyed.

Deputies Bust Small Pot Farm