In the far northwestern corner of New Mexico, San Juan County stretches across high desert mesas and long, lonely roads at the intersection of Arizona, Colorado and Utah. The landscape is vast and rural, shaped by oilfield traffic, scattered towns and rough terrain.
To the east lies Rio Arriba County, which has the highest overdose rate in New Mexico, underscoring the region’s vulnerability to trafficking routes.
Across northern New Mexico’s wide-open desert, drug networks can more easily evade law enforcement, exploiting distance and preying on a history of substance use…