New Mexico opens criminal probe of DEA after agents allowed fentanyl shipments to hit streets
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is calling for a state investigation after an Associated Press report said the DEA let hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills enter New Mexico.
- New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller are demanding accountability after an Associated Press investigation revealed the Drug Enforcement Administration intentionally allowed fentanyl into the state to build cases against distributors.
- Between May 2022 and February 2023, federal law enforcement used these tactics, overseen by U.S. Attorney Alex Uballez, whose office defended the operation citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on overdose trends.
- In communities like Española, local leaders report the fentanyl reached residents. Mayor Keller called the situation "disgusting," stating Albuquerque was used as "collateral damage" in a high-level theory on fentanyl.
- Lujan Grisham requested that the state Department of Justice investigate the federal agents involved, and the department is currently evaluating next steps while local leaders press for accountability.
- The state investigation examines whether these methods facilitated the crisis, contrasting with Uballez's assertion that policies were designed to "save lives." This tension frames the broader question of whether federal tactics directly contributed to local harm.
22 Articles
22 Articles
If the DEA Gets Bad Press for Not Seizing Fentanyl, the DEA Still Wins
In the week since the Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal separately reported on the Drug Enforcement Administration allowing certain fentanyl shipments to “walk” in order to keep building evidence for high-profile trafficking cases, a growing number of public officials have made outraged statements claiming the agency put prosecutions over public safety. At least one investigation has been opened, while another is being discussed. No matte…
New Mexico's attorney general opened a criminal investigation on Friday to determine whether DEA agents violated state law by allowing hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach the streets of Albuquerque.The extraordinary investigation takes place less than a week after The Associated Press reported that DEA agents often watched—but did not seize—the synthetic opioid's shipments in an attempt to arm larger criminal charges between 2023 an…
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New Mexico AG launches criminal investigation into DEA over allegations agents let fentanyl flood state
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez on Friday announced a criminal investigation into allegations that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) knowingly allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach New Mexico communities while agents pursued larger criminal investigations. The inquiry comes days after The Associated Press reported that DEA agents repeatedly monitored—but did [...]
New Mexico Opens Criminal Probe Into DEA Fentanyl Operations
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has launched a criminal investigation into whether Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents violated state law by allowing fentanyl shipments to reach Albuquerque between 2023 and 2025 while pursuing larger drug trafficking investigations. 💡According to state officials, DEA agents monitored certain fentanyl shipments instead of immediately seizing them, using the deliveries to build cases against high…
New Mexico Attorney General announces investigation into DEA handling of fentanyl in the state
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced that the New Mexico Department of Justice will be opening a formal investigation into the allegations that the Drug Enforcement Agency knowingly allowed fentanyl pills to be distributed into New Mexico communities. An Associated Press investigation revealed that DEA agents allowed large shipments of fentanyl [...]
New Mexico opens criminal probe of DEA after agents allowed fentanyl s
New Mexico’s attorney general on Friday opened a criminal investigation to determine whether U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents broke state law by allowing hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach the streets of Albuquerque. The extraordinary inquiry comes less than a week after The Associated Press reported that DEA agents repeatedly monitored — but did not seize — shipments of the synthetic opioid in a bid to build bigger crim…
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