DEA Fentanyl Investigation
DEA requests watchdog investigation after claims agents permitted fentanyl to reach New Mexico streets
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The Drug Enforcement Administration has asked the Justice Department's internal watchdog to investigate claims that its agents allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to flood the streets of New Mexico between 2023 and 2025. The request follows a bombshell investigation by The Associated Press that found DEA agents repeatedly watched major drug shipments arrive — and did nothing to stop them.
DEA Administrator Terry Cole said the allegations raised questions about "operational decisions, supervisory oversight, and response to concerns." The tactic — known as "walking" — is a strategy where agents let drugs reach buyers, hoping to build bigger cases against cartel leaders. Current and former DEA agents called it a dangerous gamble in a state already devastated by the fentanyl crisis.
Agents Watched 74,000 Pills Arrive and Did Nothing
In June 2023, more than a dozen DEA agents monitored a delivery of 74,000 fentanyl pills at a mobile home park in Albuquerque. They used a wiretap and a surveillance plane to track the shipment in real time, according to The Associated Press. No seizure was made. The agents let the pills walk.
Whistleblower and 19-year DEA veteran David Howell says he witnessed at least 1.8 million pills "walk" during this period. Howell filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel in late 2023 after internal objections were ignored. He says the agency "poisoned our community" to chase bigger arrests. His attorney has compared the case to "Operation Fast and Furious" — the 2009 ATF scandal where agents let 2,000 guns walk into Mexico.
New Mexico Leads Nation in Overdose Death Increases
Overdose deaths fell 14% nationwide last year. New Mexico went the other direction. The state saw a 21% spike — the largest increase in the country — for two consecutive years, according to NPR. Critics say the DEA's "walking" strategy made things worse, not better.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham called the DEA's actions "reckless and dangerous." She has asked state Attorney General Raúl Torrez to investigate whether federal agents violated New Mexico law. That sets up a possible constitutional clash. It is not clear if federal agents can be shielded from state prosecution, according to The Associated Press.
"Fast and Furious" Comparison Fuels Political Firestorm
The DEA's defenders say the "walking" strategy is sometimes necessary. Seizing one shipment can tip off a cartel and destroy a months-long wiretap. Former U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Alex Uballez defended the tactic, arguing it was needed to dismantle entire trafficking networks — not just arrest low-level couriers. But in 2019, DOJ rules required agents to seize fentanyl whenever "practicable" because of how lethal it is. Two milligrams — about 10 grains of salt — is a fatal dose for most adults.
The political stakes are high. In December 2025, President Trump signed an executive order designating fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction, calling it "closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic," according to NPR. Critics say that makes the DEA's actions even harder to defend. Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said local agencies — who deal with overdose deaths every day — were never consulted about the strategy.
DOJ Watchdog Probe Could Reshape DEA Drug Tactics
The Justice Department Inspector General will now review the DEA's operational decisions in New Mexico. Cole stressed the probe does not reflect a "lack of confidence" in his agents. But if investigators find the "walking" strategy directly caused deaths, it could trigger a full overhaul of how the DEA's Special Operations Division runs long-term drug cases, according to The Associated Press.
Veteran agents told The Associated Press they were shocked by the scale of what was allowed to happen. "Controlled deliveries" — tracking drugs to their destination — are a normal tactic. But failing to seize the drugs once they arrive is a sharp break from standard practice. With midterm elections approaching in 2026, congressional critics are already calling for a broader probe into DOJ leadership.
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