Cover design by Angela Moore. - Cover photo courtesy of Lawrence, a Madrid resident who asked that his last name not be used.
Serenity is the norm at High Feather Ranch, the spacious adobe inn perched on 65 acres of pristine high desert outside Madrid, NM. Most afternoons, the juniper-dotted hills are bathed in golden sunlight, silent but for the lazy cawing of an occasional blackbird.
This tranquility enticed Marianna Hatten to quit her job and build her dream ranch here 10 years ago. It’s where Brian Lee, one of her neighbors, has enough space to grow countless varieties of boutique organic squashes and heirloom tomatoes and where biologists, artists and outdoorsy types come to escape or retire.
Hatten likes the norm here. It’s the days when helicopters circle incessantly and men in bulletproof vests park their ATVs and saunter across her private land, assault rifles in hand, that infuriate her.
The helicopter flyovers Hatten describes have occurred regularly over the past five years, usually between mid-August and late September, according to both Madrid residents and law enforcement officials. They’re part of the annual marijuana-eradication efforts conducted by the Region III Drug Enforcement Task Force, a multi-agency counterdrug unit funded by the federal government.
The task force includes law enforcement officers from the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Fe Police Department and, according to Region officials, occasionally other law officers from Rio Arriba, Los Alamos and Taos counties—all of which fall under Region III’s jurisdiction.
In all, New Mexico has seven such task forces, each dedicated to fighting drug-related crime in its respective region. With approximately $416,000 in funding for the 2010 fiscal year, Region III falls squarely in the middle of expenditures by New Mexico’s regional drug task forces.
Law enforcement officials say the Region III Task Force plays a crucial role in reducing drug-related crime in northern New Mexico. But the Madrid and Cerrillos residents on the receiving end say the Region’s missions are haphazard at best—and frighteningly hostile at worst.
Further, drug policy critics argue that the results of such drug enforcement task forces—often measured in arrests—merely serve to trap more people, for low-level drug offenses, in the costly criminal justice system.
But Region III’s activities are also shrouded in secrecy, making accountability next to impossible.
SFR spent the better part of two months requesting records of the task force’s activities—only to find that Region III either fails to keep complete documentation of its activities, or is simply not forthcoming.
Such secrecy is certainly the case for the operation that occurred last September—an unsettling day for those residents encountering armed masked men in fatigues in the middle of their normally peaceful town.
This tranquility enticed Marianna Hatten to quit her job and build her dream ranch here 10 years ago. It’s where Brian Lee, one of her neighbors, has enough space to grow countless varieties of boutique organic squashes and heirloom tomatoes and where biologists, artists and outdoorsy types come to escape or retire.
Hatten likes the norm here. It’s the days when helicopters circle incessantly and men in bulletproof vests park their ATVs and saunter across her private land, assault rifles in hand, that infuriate her.
The helicopter flyovers Hatten describes have occurred regularly over the past five years, usually between mid-August and late September, according to both Madrid residents and law enforcement officials. They’re part of the annual marijuana-eradication efforts conducted by the Region III Drug Enforcement Task Force, a multi-agency counterdrug unit funded by the federal government.
The task force includes law enforcement officers from the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Fe Police Department and, according to Region officials, occasionally other law officers from Rio Arriba, Los Alamos and Taos counties—all of which fall under Region III’s jurisdiction.
In all, New Mexico has seven such task forces, each dedicated to fighting drug-related crime in its respective region. With approximately $416,000 in funding for the 2010 fiscal year, Region III falls squarely in the middle of expenditures by New Mexico’s regional drug task forces.
Law enforcement officials say the Region III Task Force plays a crucial role in reducing drug-related crime in northern New Mexico. But the Madrid and Cerrillos residents on the receiving end say the Region’s missions are haphazard at best—and frighteningly hostile at worst.
Further, drug policy critics argue that the results of such drug enforcement task forces—often measured in arrests—merely serve to trap more people, for low-level drug offenses, in the costly criminal justice system.
But Region III’s activities are also shrouded in secrecy, making accountability next to impossible.
SFR spent the better part of two months requesting records of the task force’s activities—only to find that Region III either fails to keep complete documentation of its activities, or is simply not forthcoming.
Such secrecy is certainly the case for the operation that occurred last September—an unsettling day for those residents encountering armed masked men in fatigues in the middle of their normally peaceful town.
I also was harassed by the men in black. They approached me saying that the helicopter had spotted "marijuana plants growing taller than my house roof". An absurd statement. I invited them up to see. There was nothing. They said "it must have been new sage growth". I think that the probable cause helicopter sightings were scripted before the choppers even arrived in Madrid! That's just wrong!!!
These helipcopters flew ALL DAY at unsafe low levels throughout the area, scaring residents and scaring off tourists, the primary source of revenue for the area (it is the Scenic Turquoise Trail, after all). I had a pilot look at one of the photos I took and he estimated that these helicopters were only about 150 feet or less above the ground - often near power lines and in canyons. None of the helicopters were marked with identifying information - which is required by the FAA - I was later told from the FAA that they had no jurisdiction over the public safety issue if it was a government maneuver! This seems to amount to a blanket search and seizure approach for all residents in the area - not to mention detroying our quiet enjoyment and privacy of our private propeerty - just to yield a few pot plants and no arrests or convictions. This blanket search and seizure does not seem legal and I wish there was a way to challenge it. Thank you for publishing this article.
It asks "How many pot plants does it take to justify a war on drugs"? From my perspective ONE.It is illegal by the law...does it need to be a war? well,no but if you let one go then it is two,three etc. They just need to legalize it and be done with this. Probably put the drug cartels out of business to.
Actually, Carol, there are many NM residents who can, quite legally, grow cannabis plants- medical cannabis patients with proiper State clearance.
What the task force observers aqre looking for is a color, a shape, an area cleared for cultivation- try spotting that from 400 feet above the ground in a moving aircraft. At the Montessori school, tomato plants were mistaken for cannabis. Other than the embarrasment of the poor sap who made the mistake, the kids on the ground were arguably endangered by the flyover- helicopters have extreme difficulty surviving engine failure at the low airspeed/ altitude in these operations- if an engine failure occurred, the ship would "land" in an area approximately below it's location, usually catastrophically, potentially very messy with thrown parts, rotor blades, etc.
Yes, illegal cultivation is -illegal, but under New Mexico LAW, potentially 3200 people can grow cannabis legally. The use of dangerous aircraft flyovers to check out plats with similar color or shape, from 400 feet above ground, and maybe catch someone illegally growing, while bothering those on the ground, begs a risk/ "reward" question-
is it worth endangering the lives of those on the ground who are going about their lives to maybe arrest someone illegally growing what can be LEGALLY GROWN UNDER NEW MEXICO LAW?????
And kicking in doors, bullying consent to search, tresspassing because they saw a familiar color, the way you really want to live? I'd rather see my TAX MONEY go to education or treatment rather than dangerous, noisy flyovers that have mixed results, trample Fourth Amendment RIGHTS of citizens, and endanger the cops, residents and harrass law abiding citizens.
In case you're wondering, I spent over 20 years in the War on Drugs, 25 years flying drug eradication and interdiction missions, have spotted cannabis growing- one plant in a Louisiana swamp, more in other places, and lost three- friends in drug- war aircraft crashed the year I retired.
It isn't worth it- we've militarized law enforcement and spent (wasted) billions of dollars- cannabis is legal for qualified medical users in 15 states. The War on Drugs has failed. It has, however, disenfranchised millions of voters for something that someone with a bit more money can fight, thereby preserving their college loan eligibilty, job prospects, future professional licensing, .......... while those who cannot fight the drug charge get jailed, have their future employability wrecked, all for the same thing- simple posession.
IF you want to live in a country whose growth industry is private prisons, who jails 10% of Black males, and insists on maintaining this immoral, dual system where the wealthy wink and get their wrists slapped for powder cocaine possession while the less fortunate use crack and get 10x the sentence, and do the time, and make sure minorities can't vote since they did time, the War on Drugs is ready- made for you. If you like drug testing because it makes you feel good, think about all the folks who are still half- drunk at work, or impaired, hungover. Be honest with yourselves, and decide which one is more dangerous in the workplace. I've been run into many times by drunk drivers; cigarettes killed one of my parents, who as a retired state employee, taxpayers covered the medical bills.
No one has ever overdosed on cannabis and the social costs are nil except for those caught up in the legal system. The biggest risk to the rest of us is the lack of tax revenue from street sales.
If cannabis were regulated for adults over 21, and taxed, the benefit to the State would be enormous. The "best" argument the Governor and prohibition advocates have is that cannabis is a "gateway drug", a tenuous claim that lacks scientific merit- it is anecdotal and not backed up by scientific proof. Cannabis remains DEA- scheduled out of a last- gasp effort to keep the money to law enforcement and related cottage industires - drug testing, prisons, etc. and keep Big Pharma happy.
The "Welcome To Madrid" article provided a very extensive accounting of the money and manpower spent to police Santa Fe County in the effort to eradicate marijuana. This is not news. This is the never ending War On Drugs, a very old story, and you didn't tell anybody anything new. The one question that should be asked is, "WHY is marijuana illegal?" This is why...
Congress voted for the illegality of marijuana in 1937 because it would have injured the profits of William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper baron. Invented in 1935, the Decorticator, was the scientific breakthrough that would cheaply process hemp into paper. The devise was unveiled on the front cover of the June 1935 issue of Modern Invention as the "miracle machine" and hemp was forecast as "America's first billion dollar crop." In over 70 years since the criminalization of marijuana most people are entirely unaware that hemp was once an integral commodity that helped build this nation. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are penned upon hemp paper. The sails of ships, the ropes that hoisted them into place, and the canvas of the covered wagons were made of hemp. The first Levis were woven from this fiber, which was the major crop grown by Washington, Jefferson, and every other farmer who planted this basic staple of existence. However, William Randolph Hearst produced newspapers and was heavily invested in the sulfuric-pulp process that makes trees into paper. He owned forests, too. He supplied his own businesses with paper and sold paper to other companies across the country. This invention had him very worried so he personally began writing propaganda essays in his papers decrying marijuana as a public health menace that turns normal people into ax-wielding mass murderers. Andrew Mellon, much wealthier than Hearst and also an investor in the sulfuric-pulp paper industry, was the Secretary of the Treasury at the time. Mellon was also chairman of the Mellon Bank, which was the main source of finance for DuPont Chemical, which held the patent on the sulfuric acid wood-pulping process. And DuPont had just invented nylon and rayon and they never wanted to see another rope made from hemp ever again. Mellon was instrumental in creating a new government agency called the Bureau of Narcotics and he placed Harry Anslinger, married to Mellon's niece, as its first director. Anslinger testified before Congress, reading actual Hearst-written articles, about how this dangerous weed drives people insane and turns them into violent animals. Doctors and scientist's testimony contradicted Anslinger's when they provided proven studies that marijuana actually causes users to become quite serene and contemplative. Anslinger then reversed his angle of attack completely and said, "Marijuana causes its users to become so peaceful and pacifistic that in the future American boys will not want to fight in our wars." Congress voted and marijuana has been illegal ever since. The former governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson, once said... "If you're smoking pot the only thing you're likely to attack is a bag of potato chips." In over 80% of violent crimes, alcohol abuse is a primary ingredient. And here's a bit more info regarding this pulp-sulfide paper making process.... the amount of fiber harvested from one acre of hemp, which takes only one season to grow, is equal to the amount harvested from five acres of trees that take 50 or more years to grow. The sulfide-pulp process is one of the leading contributors to our green-house atmosphere and acid rain problems, while the Decorticator hemp-process adds nothing at all. It is long past time that we legalize hemp, we legalize marijuana, and get over this ridiculous policy that has created half the population of our jails. More than half of the people jailed in America are there because of non-violent drug use and/or sales.
As a local to the Madrid/Cerrillos area, one of the things that has surprised me the most regarding these yearly missions is what appears to be a complete lack of continuity in "intellegence" from year to year. I live in a tiny cabin where nothing ever changes, yet every year the helicopters buzz back and forth totalling probably a half hour each year spent hovering or passing over my residence, often flying so low that I could hit them with a rock. Neighboring proximity to anything that has ever happened near me should not deem me as a yearly suspect, but that seems to be the case.
In regards to law enforcement statements that they do not enter property illegally or without probable cause, during 2006's mission I woke to a helicopter circling my cabin, literally shaking the whole structure. It would fly away for a few minutes and come back and at one point I stepped out onto the porch, made eye contact with a passenger and waved. I watched the copter land on a piece of property some distance from mine, and 15 minutes later had three armed and tactical gear wearing individuals come marching down my driveway. I stepped out, told them good morning, and got absolutely no response or acknowledgement from them. They marched right past me, briefly examined a dilapilated shed filled with junk left by previous occupants that sits behind my cabin, and off they marched. I assume they considered my shed probable cause to approach like they did even though it's door was already wide open and hanging from one hinge, and should have been obvious as junk from their hovering altitude as the individuals in the helicopter were to me from the ground. Two years ago I removed the roof of the shed to make the junk plain as day, but that seems to only have succeeded in assuring good money has been spent each year since hovering over a completely obvious pile of junk.