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Committee adds human‑trafficking and other crimes to racketeering statute; cockfighting’s inclusion debated
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Summary
Lawmakers voted to expand New Mexico’s racketeering statute to include several offenses — including human trafficking and bringing contraband into prisons — to better target organized criminal enterprises. The committee also debated and ultimately retained language tying repeated animal‑fighting offenses into RICO-style applications.
The House Judiciary Committee voted to recommend passage of legislation that expands New Mexico’s racketeering statute to cover a broader set of predicate offenses, including human trafficking, bringing contraband into places of imprisonment, and specified violent‑sex offenses. Sponsors said the change will give prosecutors additional tools to target the leaders of organized criminal enterprises.
Representative Brandt, sponsor, told the committee the bill is a “cleanup” to align the racketeering statute with crimes that prosecutors report are commonly committed as part of organized criminal activity. The bill does not raise penalties for the underlying offenses; it adds those crimes to the list that may be used as predicates for a racketeering charge.
Members discussed one controversial addition — animal fighting (dogfighting and cockfighting). Supporters, including animal‑welfare advocates and state police, said organized animal fighting is often connected to drug trafficking, firearms offenses and other violent crime; they argued adding recurring animal‑fighting conduct as a predicate would help dismantle criminal enterprises. Opponents raised concerns about cultural practices and questioned enforcement priorities; committee members noted that the state already has misdemeanor and felony levels for animal fighting and that RICO application would only apply when the predicate reaches felony level (typically after repeat offenses).
The committee recorded a do‑pass recommendation on the Senate Judiciary substitute for SB 70. Multiple law‑enforcement witnesses, the governor’s public‑safety adviser and business groups testified in support of adding tools to dismantle criminal enterprises.
What’s next: The bill now goes to the House floor with a committee recommendation. Committee discussion indicated prosecutors and law‑enforcement agencies expect to use the expanded statute selectively to target organizers and financiers of criminal enterprises rather than one‑off offenders.
