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New Mexico Governor Seeks Federal Reparations Over DEA Fentanyl Operation That Monitored but Did Not Immediately Seize Shipments
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called Monday for the federal government to reimburse more than $1.5 billion spent on fentanyl-related programs. She accused the DEA of allowing millions of pills into the state during an undercover operation without notifying officials. The state attorney general announced a criminal investigation into the allegations.
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New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham demanded Monday that the federal government pay reparations for more than $1.5 billion the state spent on law enforcement, behavioral health, addiction treatment and other public safety initiatives tied to fentanyl.
Fox News reported that Lujan Grisham accused the DEA of allowing millions of fentanyl pills to reach New Mexico communities during an undercover operation without notifying state or local officials.
She called on Congress to prohibit similar DEA operations, require full federal funding of state costs from such operations and hold involved officials personally accountable. Lujan Grisham noted that her administration has addressed similar federal issues "since 2019 three times," including repeated requests for additional DEA agents and coordinated enforcement from both the Biden and Trump administrations that received no response.
Forest Service prescribed burns that caused the state's largest wildfire, which produced a multibillion-dollar federal liability settlement. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced a criminal investigation into allegations that DEA agents knowingly allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach communities.
The Associated Press reported that agents repeatedly monitored but did not seize large shipments between 2023 and 2025 while building broader criminal cases.
Torrez said his office will examine potential legal remedies including criminal prosecution, civil litigation and structural reforms. Lujan Grisham urged lawmakers to require federal agencies to notify state and local officials before similar operations and to restore roughly $25 million in federal behavioral health and public safety funding.
