DEA under scrutiny: Records show fentanyl shipments reached New Mexico streets during investigations (Image/AP)
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is facing scrutiny after an investigation by the Associated Press alleged that federal agents allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach communities in New Mexico between 2023 and 2025 while building larger cases against drug trafficking networks.According to current and former DEA agents, as well as government records reviewed, authorities monitored multiple fentanyl shipments but did not immediately seize them, opting instead to gather intelligence and pursue higher-level traffickers. The revelations have sparked concerns over public safety in a state already heavily affected by the fentanyl crisis.The DEA has rejected suggestions that it knowingly allowed dangerous drugs to flood communities, saying its actions were lawful and carried out under court-authorised investigations targeting major criminal organisations.The report states that DEA agents repeatedly monitored deliveries of counterfeit fentanyl pills in New Mexico. In several instances, investigators allegedly observed transactions, intercepted communications and tracked suspected traffickers without immediately confiscating the drugs.One example cited involved a June 2023 delivery in Albuquerque in which investigators reportedly documented the transfer of around 74,000 fentanyl pills. Authorities were also said to have tracked another shipment concealed inside a spare tyre days earlier.Former DEA Special Agent David Howell, who later filed a whistleblower complaint, criticised the approach and argued that allowing fentanyl to circulate posed serious risks to the public.Concerns over public safetyThe allegations have renewed debate over law-enforcement tactics used to dismantle drug trafficking organisations.Critics argue that fentanyl’s extreme potency makes it different from other narcotics traditionally targeted through long-term investigations. Even small amounts of the synthetic opioid can be fatal, prompting concerns that delayed enforcement may have endangered communities.According to the report, some agents believed the strategy conflicted with Justice Department guidance encouraging authorities to seize fentanyl whenever practical because of its deadly nature.New Mexico remains one of the states hardest hit by the opioid crisis. While overdose deaths declined nationally last year, government data cited in the report showed a significant increase in overdose fatalities in the state.Alex Uballez, who served as US attorney for New Mexico until last year, defended the broader investigative approach.He said authorities sometimes allowed shipments to continue moving through trafficking networks in order to gather intelligence, identify key figures and build stronger cases against larger criminal organisations.Uballez argued that targeting major traffickers could ultimately save more lives than intercepting individual drug transactions.”The bigger fish are worth catching and that will save more lives,” he told AP. Uballez asserted that dismantling entire trafficking networks can have a wider impact on the drug trade.DEA rejects allegationsResponding to the report, the DEA said suggestions that it deliberately allowed fentanyl to enter communities were inaccurate.In a statement, agency spokesperson Amanda Wozniak said the investigations involved court-approved wiretaps, surveillance operations and intelligence-gathering efforts aimed at larger drug trafficking organisations.The DEA maintained that investigative decisions were lawful, reasonable and consistent with Justice Department guidance.Fentanyl has become one of the deadliest drugs in the United States over the past decade. The synthetic opioid is significantly more powerful than heroin and can be lethal even in very small quantities.Most illicit fentanyl found in the US is produced in clandestine laboratories, primarily in Mexico, before being trafficked across the border and distributed through criminal networks.
