Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday announced an investigation into allegations that federal drug enforcement agents knowingly let fentanyl cross into New Mexico.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chair Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) requested records related to the DEA’s controversial practice known as “fentanyl walking,” in which agents monitor drug deals but decline to seize the drugs in hopes of catching higher-level criminals down the line.
“The first Trump Administration developed risk mitigation protocols that addressed fentanyl’s unique public safety threat by requiring agents to make reasonable efforts to prevent the distribution of this lethal drug,” Comer wrote. “The Biden Administration disregarded these protocols and instead allowed shipments to remain in the custody and control of criminals.”
Comer wrote that, in 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice instructed law enforcement officials to “apply for a search warrant as soon as practicable and seize or otherwise prevent the distribution of fentanyl” if they had evidence of potential trafficking.
A whistleblower complaint in June accused federal agents of standing by while 1.8 million fentanyl pills were trafficked in the state. Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and several law enforcement leaders from across the state called for federal restitution. All three of New Mexico’s representatives in the U.S. House — all Democrats — also have asked for an investigation.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a fellow Democrat, last week filed a lawsuit against the federal government over its refusal to turn over the records Comer is also seeking.
In his Monday letter, Comer wrote that the DEA’s alleged practice occurred from 2023 to 2025. In recent years, he added, overdose deaths have declined nationally but have risen in New Mexico.
“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,” Comer wrote.
The DEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
