The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to hit the streets of New Mexico between 2023 and 2025, according to current and former DEA agents and government records. This decision was made despite the agency’s top priority being to rid the streets of illicit fentanyl, which is manufactured mostly in Mexican labs.

Fentanyl Epidemic

The fentanyl epidemic has had a devastating impact on communities in and around Albuquerque, with overdose deaths surging by 21% last year. The DEA’s strategy of allowing drug transactions to be completed so agents might follow the narcotics through the supply chain has been questioned by several veteran agents who spoke with AP.

A former DEA supervisor said he and his Albuquerque colleagues allowed “millions” of pills to go unseized during a multi-state investigation last year. The investigation culminated in the largest fentanyl bust in DEA history, with the seizure of more than 3 million pills.

Justice Department Guidelines

The U.S. Justice Department developed guidelines for agents in such circumstances, encouraging them to seize the opioid whenever “practicable.” However, the department rewrote the rules in 2024 to afford law enforcement more discretion in such cases. The updated protocols say investigators “may exercise discretion in determining whether to take action to prevent the trafficking of fentanyl,” balancing public safety risks against “the benefits to be achieved through preserving the investigation.”

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.