Joel Cano, Democratic Judge, Arrested Over Link to Venezuelan Gang Members
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Federal agents detained former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, in a raid on their Las Cruces home on Thursday over alleged links to a Venezuelan gang.
The couple is facing charges of evidence tampering and hosting three people with alleged links to Tren de Aragua, including a man named Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, who was detained for being in the U.S. illegally, FOX14 reported.
The New Mexico Supreme Court permanently barred Cano, a Democratic judge, from serving on the bench after he resigned in March following the arrest of Ortega-Lopez at his home, KRQE Albuquerque reported.
According to a Justice Department press release, investigators discovered social media posts showing Ortega-Lopez posing with multiple firearms.
Some of the weapons were allegedly provided by April Cano, the judge's daughter, who "allowed him to hold and sometimes shoot various firearms," the agency stated.
This is a developing article and more information will be added soon.
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