A veteran Drug Enforcement Administration special agent has publicly accused his own agency of allowing millions of deadly fentanyl pills onto American streets through controversial investigative tactics, sparking a federal investigation and a lawsuit from New Mexico’s attorney general.
Agent Details Three Years of Warnings
DEA Special Agent David Howell, still active with the agency, told CBS News he spent three years warning supervisors that dangerous quantities of fentanyl were reaching communities through a practice called “walking.” This tactic involves allowing drug traffickers to distribute their product while investigators follow the trail to build larger cases. Howell claims the strategy has proven catastrophic with fentanyl due to the drug’s extreme lethality. “We at the DEA have let drugs hit the street, yes. The difference was we were told not to with fentanyl,” he stated.
In 2023, Howell participated in an Albuquerque aerial surveillance operation tracking a suspect in a white SUV. When agents observed the suspect picking up a child, Howell’s team made the decision to intervene immediately. They stopped the vehicle, secured the child, and discovered between 6,000 and 7,000 fentanyl pills hidden in a compartment beneath the seat where the child sat, along with a firearm.
Federal Prosecutors Demand Drugs Walk
Rather than receiving commendation, Howell says his team faced sharp criticism from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico. Prosecutors reportedly chastised the agents for seizing the pills, expressing willingness to allow the fentanyl to reach its destination even with the child present. This confrontation became central to Howell’s whistleblower complaint, first reported last June by The Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal.
State Emergency and Federal Response
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez filed a lawsuit against the federal government over the fentanyl walking practice. Torrez directly connected the policy to deteriorating conditions statewide, noting New Mexico appears to be moving in the wrong direction. Officials in the greater Albuquerque area have declared a state of emergency due to surging fentanyl overdose calls, underscoring the crisis Howell describes.
The Department of Justice declined interview requests but confirmed DEA Administrator Cole immediately requested an independent investigation by the DOJ Inspector General after Howell came forward. That investigation remains ongoing. The DEA stated it will implement improvements if any are identified through the review. Howell remains steadfast in his message: “Our city is being destroyed by this drug. That’s why we’re sitting here, and that’s what I’m here to tell the people.”