U.S. HOUSE News:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), and Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) sent a letter to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrator Terrance Cole demanding answers about reports that federal agents and prosecutors knowingly allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to flood the streets of Albuquerque and other New Mexico communities.
The practice, known as “walking”, is an investigative tactic where law enforcement agencies, like the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), deliberately allow illicit drugs to pass through supply chains and reach the streets. Rep. Leger Fernández and the New Mexico delegation pressed Administrator Cole for an immediate briefing on DEA policies and its actions in New Mexico with respect to the fentanyl crisis.
“New Mexico families have lost too many loved ones because of fentanyl,” Rep. Leger Fernández said. “Every pill that makes it into our communities puts lives at risk. The law enforcement technology and drug interdiction resources our delegation has supported for years are meant to stop fentanyl from reaching our families—not let it through. New Mexicans deserve answers.”
“New Mexicans are paying the price for a fentanyl epidemic that is tearing families apart and deserve answers. We are demanding answers as to whether federal agents knowingly allowed fentanyl to reach and harm our communities,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury said. “The DEA’s own message is clear: one pill can kill. At a time when overdose deaths continue to devastate our state and communities, the DEA should be focused on stopping these drugs before they reach our streets—period.”
“Introducing high quantities of fentanyl into communities where drug abuse is prevalent is a highly dangerous and volatile approach,” Rep. Vasquez said. “I’m demanding answers from the DEA to understand exactly how this operation went down, who approved it, and what results, if any, it yielded. Fentanyl is a highly lethal drug that should be treated as such, as our hardworking members of local law enforcement work every day to eradicate this toxic substance from our streets, homes, and neighborhoods.”
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, even a small amount of fentanyl can provide a potentially lethal dose. Fentanyl is incredibly potent—about 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine—a deadly quantity is roughly equivalent in size to a few grains of salt.
New Mexico has now led the nation for two consecutive years in drug overdose deaths, and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show our state’s overdose deaths rose nearly 23 percent over the past year while the national rate fell. Nonfatal suspected fentanyl overdoses treated in New Mexico emergency departments have reached their highest level since January 2023. These allegations also follow reports that DEA agents are being reassigned from drug trafficking cases to support the Administration’s mass deportation agenda.
This letter follows reporting from the Albuquerque Journal that the Drug Enforcement Administration may have allowed fentanyl to leak into Albuquerque and New Mexico streets.
Find the full letter here.
Rep. Stansbury hosted a press call on this topic with New Mexico Speaker of the House, Javier Martinez. Watch a recording of the press call here.