Roswell Daily Record
Feds bust 3 Roswell businesses
Vol. 121, No. 179 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
INSIDE NEWS
NOAH VERNAU RECORD STAFF WRITER
DROUGHT BILL COMING, MAYBE
WASHINGTON (AP) — A House Republican leader said Thursday that the House may take up legislation next week to help farmers and ranchers hit by the drought that has parched much of the nation. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said that in the final week before ... - PAGE A7
Federal search and seizure warrants were executed at three Roswell businesses in the first-ever nationwide crackdown on the synthetic designer drug industry. Roswell businesses Area 420, Fatt Kidds Zone, and Big B’s were among 48 businesses, residences and other locations throughout New Mexico to be targeted for the production and sale
THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
July 27, 2012
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of dangerous drugs, which have been marketed as bath salts, Spice, incense or plant food. According to a press release from the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration and its partners have pursued cases in more than 80 cities in the United States, and have “targeted every level of the synthetic designer drug industry, including retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers.” The takedown, dubbed
New year, new school
Operation Log Jam, has resulted in more than 90 arrests and the seizure of more than 5 million packets of synthetic drugs. “Dangerous, highly addictive and illegal drugs in any for m and by any name are still dangerous, highly addictive and illegal,” Kenneth J. Gonzales, U.S. district attorney, stated. “It is imperative that everyone, especially unwary young people, realize that See BUST, Page A3
AP Photo
Confiscated packets of synthetic drugs are shown to the media during a press conference at the Drug Enforcement Administration’s offices in El Paso, Texas, Thursday.
Council OKs $87M budget
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JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
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For The Past 24 Hours
• GOP holds ‘We Did Build This’ rally • ENMU-R Special Services ... • ‘Only one more step to go’ • Homeland Security holds exercise • Roswell Incident: 61% say ‘nope’
INSIDE SPORTS Mark Wilson Photo
Employees of the Roswell Independent School District move desks, chairs and other items from the old Missouri Avenue Elementary School into the recently completed new school, Thursday morning.
In a special meeting, the Roswell City Council approved an approximately 70-page budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year that includes around $87 million in expenditures and accounts for the completion of the new barracks for the Youth ChalleNGe Academy and allots an additional $500,000 in city funds for the completion of the girls softball complex at the Wool Bowl. Councilor Elena Velasquez was the only member absent from the
County Commission RPD charges Gregory Hobbs approves final budget with Archuleta Sr. murder JULIA BERGMAN RECORD STAFF WRITER
PEYTON’S ERA BEGINS
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Peyton Manning says it’s going to take him a while to settle into his new digs in Denver after spending 14 years in Indianapolis. He looked right at home in his new duds Thursday, though. Manning’s passes on the first day of Broncos training camp were as powerful and precise as ever, delighting his coaches, teammates and the 4,371 boisterous fans who crammed into the team’s Dove Valley complex for their first glimpse of Manning in orange and blue. - PAGE B1
Chaves County will close its books at the end of this month and prepare for a new fiscal year, which accounts for the use of reserve money to finance the design, construction and renovation of the Chaves County Adult Detention Center. The CCDC has a projected $6.5 million in expenditures for the upcoming fiscal year. At its regular business meeting Thursday, the County Commission
approved the close-out budget adjustments for the 2011-2012 fiscal year and the final budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year. Finance Director Joe Sedillo said the final budget included EMS and fire funds. The county’s revenues for the upcoming fiscal year are projected to be $20,055,125 and its expenditures $23,023,125. “We need to continue to be vigilant in holding the line and being an efficient governmental entity, and at
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is weighing its options for more direct involvement in the Syrian civil war if the rebels opposing the Assad regime can wrest enough control to create a safe haven for themselves, U.S. officials said.
OBITUARIES
• Albert Roy Torres • Frank Pat Aragon • Anthony Barreras - PAGE A7 AP Photo
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CLASSIFIEDS..........B6 COMICS.................B4 FINANCIAL .............B5 GENERAL ..............A2 HOROSCOPES ........B3 LOTTERIES ............A2 NATION .................A7 OPINION ................A4 SPORTS ................B1 WEATHER ..............A8
INDEX
plaint, the lead investigator stated that he “walked into the hospital room and observed a male subject who was not going to be capable of talking to anybody.” Archuleta Jr. later succumbed to his injuries. According to the affidavit filed in Magistrate Court, the deaths followed an altercation that happened the previous day between another family member and the resiSee MURDER, Page A3
Gregory Hobbs
US weighs options for more Syria aid if rebels get safe zones See COUNTY, Page A3
TODAY’S
HIGH ...93˚ LOW ....69˚
Gregory Hobbs, 22, was charged with one open count of murder, Thursday, for the July 15 shooting death of Ruben Archuleta, Sr. Roswell Police were dispatched to the 300 block of East Bonney Street in reference to a homicide. When they arrived at the scene, they found Archuleta Sr., 48, dead. Archuleta Jr., 19, was taken to Easter n New Mexico Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. In the criminal com-
See CITY, Page A3
Syrian refugees rest on the border crossing by Qaim, Iraq, 200 miles west of Baghdad, Thursday.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says it’s only a matter of time before the rebels have enough territory and organization to
create such areas.
Of ficials are already starting to brainstorm how a safe zone might allow Washington to step up its assistance, which has been limited to humanitarian aid and nonlethal equipment such as medical supplies and communications gear.
A senior American official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the administration’s
thinking publicly, said the U.S. is seeing “increased unity, cohesion and better military per for mance” among the rebels, including greater ef fectiveness in coordinating attacks, which the administration sees as proof the rebels are better employing the encrypted radios supplied by the U.S. For now, U.S. officials are standing by their asser-
Local officials not happy with Alamo DA Zeta cartel comments JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
Local officials reacted to an Associated Press article, originally printed in the July 2 Alamogordo Daily News, in which District Attorney Diana Martwick stated, “We had big-time gangs here involved in the killing of a U.S. consulate (worker and her husband). They’ve been involved in all our violent crimes lately. ... I want to get a handle on it (Zeta presence) before we become the next Roswell.”
The second AP article, published in Tuesday’s Daily Record, listed Farmington and Roswell as the communities with the biggest gang problems. Few people in city government debate that Roswell has gangs. “No one will deny that we have our problems, but we believe we have been proactive in fighting crime. ... Many of the problems that we have here are not unique to us. They are nationwide problems, but one thing we won’t do is point our finger at another city and say, ‘Soand-so is worse than us,’” said City
Administrator Larry Fry. Mayor Del Jurney did not appreciate Martwick’s statements, either. “She spoke with no concrete evidence and no documentation.” RPD have been receiving phone calls from frightened citizens since the articles first appeared. Roswell Police Chief Alfonso Solis wanted to assure people that to the best of his knowledge Roswell does not have gangs like Zeta. “I’ll not deny that we have gangs here, but they are not organized.” He viewed the massive drug bust last year that netted 84 arrests as
See SYRIA, Page A3
a preventative measure. Solis said it was a message to any criminals that the RPD would not tolerate drugs or crime in Roswell. “We were not targeting anyone because of organized crime connections. The round-up targeted those people who have a history of dealing.” Since then, the RPD continues to make drug arrests and none of the people arrested had any known association with the Zetas. New Mexico State Police Capt. See ZETAS, Page A3