A joint effort by local law enforcement, the Pecos Valley Drug Task Force, and a special forces team from Border Patrol, Bortac, made a large dent in the local drug trade when they raided a long-suspected drug house. At approximately 10:40 p.m. on August 17th, four occupants at 211 Lamar were surprised by a raid which yielded a large amount of drugs and cash as well as multiple weapons, including an AR-15 type firearm.
Three local residents and a suspected fugitive wanted out of Eddy County in New Mexico, were taken into custody. Jarod Englehart from Van Horn was charged with suspected possession of controlled substances; Jonathan Mendez from Van Horn, suspected unlawful possession of a firearm and controlled substances; Ruben Florez III, from Van Horn, suspected probation violation out of Hudspeth County; and Efrain Archuleta from Carlsbad, suspected drug trafficking and probation violation.
