[Inspection and police powers.]

Such regents, their agents and employees shall have power to enter and inspect every place or vehicle within the state where pecans are produced, received, packed, delivered, loaded, shipped, offered for sale or sold, whether for intrastate or interstate shipment, and to inspect such places and all unshelled pecans and containers of unshelled pecans therein. Each such agent and employee, shall have the same powers with respect to the performance of the duties imposed by this act [76-16-1 to 76-16-9 NMSA 1978] as are possessed by peace officers, and shall have the right, while exercising such police powers, to seize or hold as evidence such part of any pack, load, lot, consignment or shipment of unshelled pecans packed, delivered for shipment, loaded, shipped or being transported, offered for sale or sold, in violation of this act, as may in his judgment be necessary to secure the conviction of any person whom he knows, or has good reason to believe, is violating any of the provisions thereof.