New Mexico governor declares state of emergency in rural county afflicted by crime, drug use

By Morgan Lee SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The governor of New Mexico declared a state of emergency Wednesday in response to violent crime and drug trafficking across a swath of northern New Mexico, including two Native American pueblo communities. The emergency declaration by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham makes $750,000 available in response to calls by local governments and tribal officials in Rio Arriba County for reinforcements against violent crime as well as other crime and hardships associated with illicit drugs. The vast area stretches from the city of Española, 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Santa Fe, to the Colorado state line and has long been afflicted by opioid use and high drug-overdose death rates, with homeless encampments emerging in recent years in more populated areas. “The surge in…

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