DEA faces state and federal probes over New Mexico fentanyl shipments

The inquiry follows reporting by the Associated Press based on a 2023 whistleblower complaint filed by former DEA agent David Howell. Howell told the AP that agents tracked a June 2023 delivery of 74,000 fentanyl pills to a mobile home park but did not intervene.

Whistleblower account Howell stated agents had precise intelligence on multiple shipments yet chose not to act. “We poisoned our community to make cases,” he said. One kilogram of fentanyl can produce thousands of pills with the potential to kill 500,000 people, according to DEA data cited in the report.

Agency response The DEA told The Guardian that descriptions suggesting agents knowingly allowed fentanyl to reach communities are false. It said the operations were court-authorized Title III investigations coordinated with U.S. attorney offices and conducted to target larger trafficking organizations.

The agency has asked the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General to review Howell’s complaint.

State reaction Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham called the reported actions “reckless and dangerous” and urged prosecution of anyone responsible. ” Torrez noted that New Mexico already ranks among states hardest hit by fentanyl deaths and said families deserve a full accounting of federal actions.

Overdose deaths statewide rose 23 percent in the past year, the second consecutive year New Mexico led the nation in overdose mortality.