Drugs — New Mexico — reported 2026-06-22

SUMMARY

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration permitted hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach communities in New Mexico between 2023 and 2025.

KEY FACTS

  • Incident type: Drugs
  • Location: New Mexico
  • Date reported: 2026-06-22
  • Suspect: not stated

REPORTED DETAILS

  • Between 2023 and 2025, the DEA allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to hit the streets of New Mexico.
  • The tactic was used as part of a broader effort to gather intelligence and build cases against major drug traffickers.
  • In some cases, the DEA had detailed intelligence about drug deliveries, including precise pill counts.
  • Agents watched as traffickers delivered 74,000 pills in a deal at a mobile home park in Albuquerque in June 2023.
  • Federal authorities busted the traffickers months after the surveillance, but cannot account for the unseized shipments.