Full Breakdown
DEA “Fentanyl Walking” Tactic Under Scrutiny in New Mexico
8/31/2026, 9:40:02 PM
The Alleged Practice and Its Scope
Federal investigators have been accused of deliberately allowing large shipments of illicit fentanyl to reach New Mexico communities while monitoring the transactions for longer-term cases. Whistleblowers say the DEA’s “fentanyl walking” strategy let millions of pills move through Albuquerque and other cities between 2023 and 2025, even as agents observed couriers carrying backpacks that could hold “100,000 fentanyl pills.”
Background & Context
In 2024 the Department of Justice rewrote the rules, granting agents broader discretion to preserve investigations. The White House later designated synthetic fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction,” underscoring the drug’s national-security framing. Critics argue the revised protocol enabled the walking tactic, first reported by veteran Albuquerque DEA agent David Howell in a 2023 whistleblower filing.
Data & Statistics
- New Mexico’s overdose death rate rose 21 % from 2022 to 2025, while the national rate fell 14 %.
- A May 2025 bust announced by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi seized 3 million fentanyl pills, yet investigators estimate an additional 350,000 pills proceeded in a single Albuquerque transaction.
- Fentanyl now drives 70 % of drug-related deaths in New Mexico, a figure that has persisted since 2016.
Official Statements & Responses
- Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chair of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche requesting records on the DEA’s monitoring-without-seizing strategy, calling the policy “unconscionable.”
- DEA Administrator Terry Cole told Fox News that “our investigations are long term and they are complex and they are done under the guidance of the law.”
- The DEA has declined to comment on the specific allegations and maintains that its actions were “reasonable and lawful.”
Criticism & Opposition
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a lawsuit demanding disclosure of the DEA’s practice. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham formally requested a criminal investigation, echoing the AG’s concerns. Whistleblower agents, including David Howell and David Zimmerman, allege retaliation for exposing the practice and say it violated internal DEA protocols.
Verbatim Quotes
- “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,” — Rep. James Comer
- “Our investigations are long term and they are complex and they are done under the guidance of the law,” — DEA Administrator Terry Cole
- “You could probably get 100,000 fentanyl pills (in a backpack), if you wanted,” — David Zimmerman
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The Associated Press investigation indicates the walking tactic persisted into the second Trump administration, culminating in the 2025 bust. The Department of Justice’s internal watchdog has announced a nationwide review but has not yet released findings, leaving a gap in public knowledge about whether the practice was employed elsewhere.
What’s Next
- The DOJ’s inspector general is conducting a nationwide policy review to determine if similar monitoring occurred in other jurisdictions.
- The New Mexico lawsuit seeks a court order compelling the U.S. Attorney’s Office to produce the requested documents; the outcome will shape future federal-state cooperation on drug-enforcement investigations.
