New Mexico AG Probes DEA for Alleged Fentanyl Trafficking Oversight

WHO:

Fox News - New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced a criminal investigation.

Fox News - New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham called for the investigation.

Fox News - DEA Special Agent David Howell filed a whistleblower complaint.

WHAT:

Fox News - The investigation focuses on allegations that the DEA allowed over a million fentanyl pills to reach New Mexico communities between 2023 and 2025.

Fox News - The inquiry will explore potential legal remedies, including criminal prosecution, civil litigation, and structural reforms.

ABC News Health - The investigation was opened due to claims that DEA agents allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach the streets.

WHERE:

Fox News - The investigation pertains to communities in New Mexico, specifically mentioning Albuquerque.

WHEN:

Fox News - The DEA allegedly monitored large fentanyl shipments between 2023 and 2025.

Fox News - Fentanyl pills were seized by the DEA in New Mexico on April 28, 2025.

WHY:

Fox News - The investigation was prompted by allegations that the DEA knowingly allowed fentanyl shipments to reach communities while pursuing larger criminal cases.

Fox News - Torrez stated that families affected by fentanyl deserve the truth about the federal government's actions.

HOW:

Fox News - DEA agents allegedly monitored but did not seize large fentanyl shipments while attempting to build broader criminal cases.

Fox News - Governor Grisham accused the DEA of allowing the delivery of 74,000 fentanyl pills to a mobile home park in Albuquerque without intervening.

(UPDATED June 27, 2026 07:53 UTC)

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has announced a criminal investigation into allegations that the DEA allowed over a million fentanyl pills to reach communities in New Mexico, particularly Albuquerque, between 2023 and 2025. The inquiry, which was called for by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, will explore potential legal remedies, including criminal prosecution and civil litigation, following claims that DEA agents monitored large shipments without intervening. Torrez emphasized that families affected by fentanyl deserve the truth about the federal government's actions, as the investigation seeks to uncover the extent of the DEA's involvement in these troubling shipments.