ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to enter the streets of New Mexico from 2023 to 2025, according to accounts from current and former DEA agents and government records reviewed by The Associated Press. DEA agents monitored these shipments but did not seize them as federal prosecutors aimed to build larger cases against traffickers of the synthetic opioid, which has been labeled a 'weapon of mass destruction' by the White House.
DEA Special Agent David Howell expressed concerns about this strategy, stating, 'We poisoned our community to make cases.' He filed a whistleblower complaint regarding these practices. The DEA has maintained that it is not feasible to seize every drug shipment, but the decision to allow large quantities of counterfeit painkillers to circulate has raised alarms among veteran agents.
The DEA has prioritized eliminating illicit fentanyl, primarily produced in Mexico, as overdose deaths have surged. Despite a nationwide decrease in overdose deaths by 14% last year, New Mexico experienced a 21% increase. Alex Uballez, former U.S. attorney in New Mexico, noted that allowing some shipments to go unseized was part of a strategy to gather intelligence on major traffickers, reflecting limited resources.
The DEA stated that its investigative decisions were lawful and consistent with Department guidance, and denied that it knowingly permitted fentanyl to reach communities. Reports indicate that agents had detailed intelligence on drug deliveries, including a case where they observed 74,000 pills being exchanged. Howell criticized the approach, stating it risks public safety for the sake of larger prosecutions.