ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — State police have destroyed tens of thousands of pounds of marijuana plants at greenhouses in northwestern New Mexico, marking what regulators say is the largest seizure and destruction of cannabis in New Mexico since new possession and cultivation laws took effect in 2021.
The company was accused of not posting its licenses on site, failing to obtain water rights for cultivation, not having cameras that could monitor certain areas of its operation and violating sanitation and health requirements. Jacob Candelaria, an Albuquerque attorney who represents NNK Equity, disputed the state’s claims and accused regulators and state police of violating his client’s civil rights. He said the state failed to properly serve notice of its intent to revoke the company’s license and subsequently denied a request for a hearing on the merits of the case.
The company plans to ask a state district judge to set aside the order revoking the license and to order state regulators to hold a hearing, Candelaria said. He added that NNK Equity also plans to sue the state for destroying what he said amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars of private property.