New Mexico opens criminal probe of DEA after agents allowed fentanyl shipments to hit streets

New Mexico's attorney general has launched a criminal investigation into the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for potentially violating state law by allowing fentanyl shipments to reach Albuquerque streets. The probe follows reports that DEA agents monitored but did not seize fentanyl pills between 2023 and 2025 to build larger cases, a strategy criticized as endangering public safety. The DEA has requested an independent review by the Justice Department's watchdog.