A former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent turned whistleblower has alleged that the agency deliberately permitted large quantities of fentanyl pills to be trafficked in New Mexico in hopes of securing larger drug-trafficking busts, potentially leading to fatal overdoses. The explosive claims, published by the Associated Press, have sparked political outrage and formal investigations.
Whistleblower Alleges DEA 'Sat Back and Watched'
DEA special agent David Howell told the AP that agents had detailed intelligence about drug deliveries, including precise pill counts, but chose not to intervene. 'We poisoned our community to make cases,' Howell said. 'Through our own willful blindness, we get to say, “We don’t really know what happened to the drugs.” But we 100% got people killed.'
Documents reviewed by AP show that in June 2023, DEA agents deciphered coded chatter and surveilled a transaction of 74,000 fentanyl pills at a mobile home park in Albuquerque without seizing the drugs. Days earlier, another shipment had also gone without seizure. Howell filed a whistleblower complaint in 2023, claiming agents allowed hundreds of thousands of pills into the city.
DEA Responds, Denies Allegations
The DEA challenged the AP's reporting, stating that 'public descriptions suggesting that DEA knowingly permitted fentanyl to reach communities are false and fundamentally mischaracterize the facts.' The agency said the cases involved 'complex, court-authorized Title III investigations' targeting larger trafficking organizations and that decisions were 'lawful, reasonable, and consistent with department guidance.'
Nonetheless, the DEA asked the US Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General to investigate Howell's complaint. One kilogram of fentanyl, equating to thousands of pills, has the potential to kill 500,000 people, according to DEA estimates.
New Mexico Officials Launch Investigations
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced a formal investigation on Friday, writing to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham: 'If those allegations are accurate, the consequences for New Mexicans were not abstract. They were fatal.' Torrez noted that New Mexico ranks among the states hardest hit by fentanyl overdose deaths and pledged to pursue 'every appropriate legal avenue.'
Governor Lujan Grisham called the DEA's actions 'reckless and dangerous' and urged prosecution regardless of federal status. She told the Albuquerque Journal the result was 'hundreds of New Mexican parents burying their kids.' Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said the DEA made an 'immoral decision,' calling it 'a huge slap in the face to all of us as New Mexicans.'
Fentanyl Crisis Hits New Mexico Hard
While US drug fatalities fell 24% from 2023 to 2024, New Mexico saw a 23% increase in overdose deaths over the past year, leading the nation for the second consecutive year. In the first half of 2025, three northeastern counties experienced up to a 204% rise in drug-related emergency room visits, per the New Mexico Department of Health.
The state has a long history as a transshipment route for Mexican heroin, with Española once known as the heroin-addiction capital of America. After opioid prescription restrictions tightened in the 2010s, cartels switched to cheaper, synthetic fentanyl.
Internal Guidance and Political Fallout
In 2017, the Justice Department issued protocols directing agents to seize fentanyl 'as soon as practicable,' prioritizing public safety. However, a 2023 revision gave agents more discretion, allowing them to balance risks against investigative benefits. Former US Attorney Alex Uballez defended the approach: 'The bigger fish are worth catching, and that will save more lives.'
Empower Oversight, the whistleblower organization representing Howell, claims the DEA 'walked' fentanyl shipments from at least 2023 to March 2025. The group called for investigations, stating: 'The same agency that warns “one pill can kill” should not intentionally allow hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to hit the streets.'
