NM Department of Justice, police search former Zorro Ranch owned by Jeffrey Epstein
The New Mexico Department of Justice said it searched convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s former Zorro Ranch on Monday, along with New Mexico State Police officers and deputies from the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez’s NMDOJ in February announcement a criminal investigation into on-site activities at the property before Epstein’s death in 2019. Former New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas at the time told Source NM that his office investigated the actions of Epstein and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell at Zorro Ranch before federal officials asked him to stay the motion.
On Sunday, the Women’s March organized a rally outside the gates of the ranch, “where Epstein trafficked girls for decades while the Federal Bureau of Investigation took no action.” In a statement released Monday, an NMDOJ spokesperson asked the public to stay away from the area and stop flying drones overhead “to avoid interfering with ongoing law enforcement operations.”
“Under the direction of Attorney General Torrez, the New Mexico Department of Justice this morning initiated a search of the Zorro Ranch property previously owned by Jeffrey Epstein, with the assistance of the New Mexico State Police and the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office,” Monday’s statement said. “The New Mexico Department of Justice appreciates the cooperation of the current owners in granting access to the research and expresses its thanks to the ranch staff for their professionalism…The New Mexico Department of Justice will continue to keep the public properly informed, support survivors, and follow the facts wherever they lead.”
Don Huffines, former Texas state senator and current candidate for state comptroller, in February social media post said he purchased the property at auction in 2023 and hoped to “turn it into a Christian retreat, reclaiming it for Jesus.”
The NMDOJ recently launched a digital tip line to provide members of the public with “credible information” about Zorro Ranch and Epstein’s time in New Mexico. It’s available here.
The state’s Epstein ‘truth commission’ was held its first public meeting in February, where members said they would coordinate with the NMDOJ. Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) chairs the committee, and its three other members are Rep. Marianna Anaya (D-Albuquerque), former FBI agent Rep. William “Bill” Hall (Aztec Republican) and the prosecutor, Rep. Andrea Reeb (Republican Clovis).
The commission has a budget of $2 million and is scheduled to submit its first report to the state Legislature in July.
