In April 2004, an interagency group of law-enforcement officers descended on a drab-looking house in the tiny village of San Rafael, southwest of Grants, with search warrants in hand.

They were looking for evidence that the homeowner, Augustine Chavez, was involved in trafficking a pair of ancient Indian leggings woven from human hair. The leggings could have fetched $250,000 on the black market, according to agents.

Officers knocked on the door and repeatedly said they had a warrant to search the house. Chavez ran out the back door, right into other agents. "Are you here for the meth?" he asked surprised officers, according to a federal-court affidavit.

[continues 1548 words]