ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Law enforcement and prosecutors say enough is enough with crime and drugs in the International District. They’re focusing on cleaning it up and going after those criminals making the community unsafe. 

“Needles in parks, on the road, prostitution, that is all day and all night long,” said Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen. 

It’s an everyday sight throughout the International District, and it has people living in the area wondering if it will ever get better.

“We have given opportunities to addicts in the past to get the treatment they need, but we owe it to the people of Albuquerque, the people of that live in this neighborhood, and the businesses that operate in this neighborhood,” said Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman.

That’s where Operation Route 66 comes in. It’s a joint effort to get guns, drugs and those using them off the streets.

“If you smoke fentanyl, you will go to jail. If you don’t show up for court, you will be picked up on your warrant and brought back to jail. If you commit crime, you will be held accountable,” said Bregman. 

The operation is twofold: bringing more resources into the International District and holding offenders accountable. 

“There’s going to be two vans here after 30 days, and when we see you doing a crime, you can either go to jail or you can go get help. If you don’t want to go get help, you go to jail.  The judiciary is going to have to figure out themselves if courts are becoming overcrowded, if the jail is becoming overcrowded,” said Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen. “We’re going to hear, ‘This is not going to do anything, the judges are going to let them out on the next day.’ Well, guess what? They will get help or be arrested again for the very long time.” 

Bregman says his office will be tracking all these cases, and will assign a full-time attorney to oversee the progress.

UPDATE (2/25/2025): According to Bregman’s office, 53 people have been arrested in the first week of this operation. Among them, the office states, 41 people had warrants, including two people reportedly wanted for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.