By Gabrielle Burkhart
First appeared on the KRQE-TV website.
CLOVIS, N.M. (KRQE) – A routine traffic stop ended in in a big bust for law enforcement when police say what appeared to be a driver transporting horses turned out to a drug mule.
And they say it’s happening more often.
It looked like a typical sight in southeast New Mexico; a man towing four horses in a trail. That is until a New Mexico Livestock Board inspector stopped him Wednesday on U.S. Highway 70 between Clovis and Portales, to check the documents for his horses.
“This gentleman was very nervous, acted very suspicious,” explained Barry Allen, District 13 supervisor for the New Mexico Livestock Board. “The officer thought something might be going on with the unit.”
Plus a similar stop by the same inspector three weeks ago had him on high alert.
“On that particular incident, the individual cited he would be able to prove ownership on them, and then after we impounded the horses, we never heard another word from the individual,” Allen recalled.
The driver stopped Wednesday said he’d come from Roswell but was very vague with officers about where he was heading.
Curry County Sheriff’s Office deputies and drug agents with the Region Five Drug Task Force were called in to assist.
“They started doing some measurement on the side of the trailer and you could tell where there was a void in the trailer, where something had been altered,” Allen said. “We really didn’t know what it was.
“They brought in a dog; the dog alerted them to the trailer and also the vehicle.”
Investigators found a hidden compartment and a massive stash: more than 1,700 lbs. of marijuana wrapped in 26 bales and worth about $2.5 million on the streets.
The driver, John Travis Hair, 31, of El Paso, Texas, was arrested and charged with distributing marijuana over 100 pounds, a third-degree felony.
Livestock inspectors are aware this could be happening more. Since rodeo season is in full swing, there are a lot more livestock transports on the road, which means livestock inspectors are making more stops to verify ownership.
“We’ve always been trained to be aware that there could be something like this; this time it happened,” said Allen. “We need to always be aware, that you never know what you’re going to encounter when you pull over a vehicle.”
Allen also commended the success of the bust to a joint effort between local law enforcement agencies.
The Livestock Board is also investigating where the horses came from. Allen said the horses seized from Hair were in good condition.