BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A former New Mexico resident now living in Texas was sentenced to prison for illegally dumping laboratory-grade cyanide and other chemicals in the Albuquerque area, leaving the city and Bernalillo County responsible for the costly cleanup, according to the Department of Justice.
“There is no excuse for putting lives, property, and the environment at risk by dumping hazardous chemicals,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison in a news release from the DOJ. “We will not tolerate reckless disregard for our communities’ safety. Those who endanger others for their own convenience can expect to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
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Investigators learned that Daniel Winard, 52, of Houston, inherited property in New Mexico from a retired chemist who worked for an energy company. When Winard took control of the property, he found a large assortment of hazardous waste had been left behind, including laboratory-grade chemicals.
According to the DOJ, Winard asked local government officials about how to properly dispose of the chemicals and found out it was expensive. He then dumped the chemicals, including cyanide, yellow phosphorus, calcium carbide, and thionyl chloride, at nine locations in the Albuquerque area without a permit from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the state…