(Locals)—A former New Mexico judge, Joel Cano, who stepped down last month after an alleged Tren de Aragua member was apprehended at his residence, has been permanently barred from judicial service in the state.
The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Joel Cano “can never hold a judicial office again, be a candidate for a judicial office, and cannot exercise any judicial authority in the state, including officiating at weddings,” as stated by an Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) spokesman to Fox News Digital.
Originally set to address disciplinary cases on Thursday, the court canceled the oral arguments as the matters were resolved.
Cano, previously a judge at the Doña Ana County Magistrate Court in Las Cruces, submitted his resignation letter on March 3, according to Fox News Digital, though the court spokesman noted it reached the Supreme Court and 3rd Judicial District Court only on March 31.
In his resignation letter, Cano indicated his final workday was March 21, writing, “All the best to everyone of you. I wish all of you a happy retirement once you are ready yourself.”
In January, Homeland Security Investigations Las Cruces began probing Venezuelan native Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, described as “an illegal alien from Venezuela and a suspected member of a criminal gang” living with other undocumented individuals and possessing firearms, per court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
On February 28, authorities executed two search warrants at a property owned by Cano’s wife, Nancy Cano.
Ortega-Lopez and his housemates were detained, and agents “seized four firearms from April Cano’s residence.” April Cano is the daughter of Nancy and Joel Cano, according to court records.
Investigators found Ortega-Lopez displaying weapons in social media posts, some of which he claimed belonged to April Cano, who “allowed him to hold and sometimes shoot various firearms.”
