| NEWS | Church from p 14 Eagle and the Condor’s lawsuit, the U.S. government has, for two years, ignored most of the congregation’s Freedom of Information Act requests about the ayahuasca seizures. Calls from New Times to the Department of Homeland Security’s media line went unanswered. “The CBP,” the church’s complaint alleges, “has engaged in a pattern and practice of seizing and destroying count- less other shipments of sacramental ayahuasca that have come into the United States since 2020.” In addition to legal recognition, the church wants to understand more about the process for seizures, Carrasco said. “When the church had its ayahuasca seized, [CBP] didn’t tell them they were going to do that. They didn’t explain why. They didn’t give them any opportunity to contest the seizure. And they destroyed the sacrament in a sacrilegious manner,” said Carrasco. The stakes for the church are high. In fall 2021, Maricopa County prosecutors charged Villanueva, the leader of the Vine of Light Church, for his possession and use of ayahuasca. That, despite the fact that he was using it for religious ceremonies and was a sitting board member of the North American Association of Visionary Churches, which represents congregations that use ayahuasca in religious rituals. As a result, Villanueva was jailed for several weeks in August 2021. His time in jail took a toll on his health. Months prior, he had been diagnosed with lymphoma, and was self-treating with holistic medi- cine. The jail time worsened his condition. Once Villanueva was released, with an ankle monitor and a parole officer, he never restarted ceremonies. “The DEA destroyed that church,” said Scott Stanley, founder of the Tucson ayahuasca church, the Arizona Yagé Assembly. “It affected his entire congrega- tion.” Some of the Vine of Light congre- gants had flocked to Stanley’s church or others in Arizona, he said. Others had faded away. Villanueva died from cancer on April 1, leaving behind his wife and son, and a congregation in mourning. On June 18, Stanley’s church held a memorial service for the pastor. An ayahuasca ceremony was conducted in his honor. The county has since dropped all charges against Villanueva’s wife, Cecilia, who was named as a co-defendant in the case. But both Villanueva and his church are gone now. Still, if the Church of the Eagle and the Condor is any proof, religious use of ayahuasca has not subsided in Phoenix. “Despite the threats ... the Church and its members continue to import, possess, and use their sacrament, and have no plans to stop doing so,” the church’s attorneys wrote YouTube Joe Tafur, founding member of the Church of the Eagle and the Condor, speaks about his experience with ayahuasca in 2015. in the lawsuit. A key element of the church’s fight for approval will be to prove in court that they are, in fact, using ayahuasca as part of a religious practice. In Villanueva’s case, this was more of a gray area. While Villanueva clearly was conducting reli- gious ceremonies — and was viewed as a spiritual leader — there were indications, based on text messages obtained by Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies, that he also was selling ayahuasca to other practitioners. The Church of the Eagle and the Condor, its attorneys argue, is scrupulous about its use of the drug, and is a devout community. “They keep a very strict inventory of the ayahuasca. Only the board members have access to it. And it is not available to non-church members at all,” Carrasco said. The church held a “faith-merging belief system,” one in which ayahuasca was the “profound and primary voice of Mother Nature and Divinity,” attorneys wrote in the lawsuit. “They are very devoted and very devout,” Carrasco said. For the church, the legal road ahead is likely long. The AYA in Tucson, which filed a lawsuit jointly with Villanueva and his church in 2021, has been waiting for a resolution on the case for more than a year. Although Villanueva and the Vine of Light are no longer part of the case, it seems the AYA may be inching closer to a successful ending. Just last week, the DEA agreed to start talks about a settlement. “We’re in this for the long run,” Stanley said this week. “We’re hopeful that within the next three to six months, we’ll have an agreement in place.” For now — despite their legal woes — Arizona’s ayahuasca churches don’t seem deterred. with mattress $ 529 2pc sectional Choice of fabrics 4pc bedroom set 5 drawer chest $ 639 $ 439 DELIVERY AVAILABLE Box and mattress VALLEY-WIDE Bunk-Bed-Frame $ 309 T-$119 F-$139 Q-$169 K- $289 Twin Mattress w/ 6” Foam $ 7995 $ 139 CHESTs Starting from $ 139 CALL FOR PRICING mon-THU: 9AM - 7PM fri: 9AM - 7PM sat: 9AM - 6PM sun: 10AM - 5PM 3330 w Van Buren St • Phoenix • 602-272-0034 (NE Corner of 35th Ave & Van Buren) *prices are subject WESTSIDEFURNITURE.COM 17 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES JUNE 30TH–JULY 6TH, 2022
