New Mexico delegation seeks broader probe of claims that federal agents let fentanyl into the state
Sep 04, 2026 | 3:51 pm ET
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Local, state and federal authorities have all demanded transparency from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration following whistleblowers’ allegations that its agents knowingly let fentanyl — pictured above after an April, 2025, drug bust — flow into New Mexico. (Courtesy U.S. District Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico)
New Mexico’s congressional delegation signed a letter on Friday asking a federal government watchdog to broaden the scope of its investigation into allegations that drug enforcement agents knowingly let fentanyl shipments cross into New Mexico.
The U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General on Aug. 17 announced it was investigating whistleblower complaints, which alleged that Drug Enforcement Administration agents monitoring fentanyl shipments in New Mexico would routinely stop short of seizing them in hopes of catching bigger traffickers down the line.
All five of New Mexico’s U.S. senators and representatives asked investigators to extend its probe further back than 2024. DEA whistleblower complaints make reference to these tactics, known as “fentanyl walking,” as far back as 2022, they wrote.
“One of the whistleblowers claims (is) that the DEA surveilled a drug trafficker ‘who made repeated deliveries of fentanyl from Phoenix to Albuquerque between 2022 and 2023.’ There is reason to suspect that the DEA’s policies of allowing fentanyl to ‘walk’ stretches back before 2023,” they wrote. “The people of New Mexico deserve answers as to why the agency charged with seizing drugs instead allowed deadly pills to flood their streets. We ask that the DOJ OIG conduct a full and thorough investigation to bring some measure of accountability to actions carried out by DEA.”
In their letter, U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Reps. Melanie Stansbury, Teresa Leger Fernández and Gabe Vasquez — all New Mexico Democrats — mentioned a statistic that the state’s leaders have often cited since the scandal became public in June: New Mexico was one of just seven states to report a recent increase in overdose deaths amid a national decline.
Republicans on the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Monday announced an investigation of their own into the “fentanyl walking” allegations.
“While DEA agents may not have the resources to intercept every single known shipment, a policy directing them not to intercept significant shipments is unconscionable and undoubtedly resulted in considerable harm and lives lost,” U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who chairs the Oversight and Government Reform committee, wrote in a Monday letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Santa Fe, NM
