In New Mexico, state police recently destroyed tens of thousands of marijuana plants in a major operation targeting greenhouses in the northwest region, the largest cannabis seizure since the state legalized possession and cultivation in 2021.
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This enforcement effort centered on NNK Equity LLC, a licensed grower whose license is now at risk due to a range of alleged noncompliance issues, including inadequate site monitoring, lack of water rights, and sanitation violations.
The Cannabis Control Division had previously filed a noncompliance order against the company, which escalated to a default order due to the alleged violations.
State Police Chief Troy Weisler stated that the company’s actions displayed “a blatant disregard for the laws of this state,” promising to substantiate these allegations through further investigation. Meanwhile, Jacob Candelaria, attorney for NNK Equity, contested the state’s actions, claiming they failed to provide proper notice of the license revocation and denied his clients, Irving Lin and Bao Xue, an opportunity for a hearing. Candelaria also argued that his clients, who are Mandarin speakers, were denied a translation request, potentially limiting their understanding of the legal processes against them.
The Cannabis Control Division maintains it met all procedural requirements and upheld due process for the company. NNK Equity intends to challenge the state’s actions in court, with Candelaria indicating that they will seek to reverse the license revocation and demand a hearing. He also suggested that the company may pursue legal action over what he claims was an unlawful destruction of private property worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The investigation revealed additional issues when the Special Investigations Unit of the state police discovered cannabis plants at a second, unlicensed location tied to NNK Equity. Other infractions included exceeding the allowable plant count and failing to meet tracking and transportation requirements, such as assigning ID numbers to each plant.
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