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DEA whistleblower says agency allowed millions of fentanyl pills on the streets
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- DEA Special Agent David Howell alleges the agency has allowed millions of fentanyl pills to reach the streets by using a tactic called "walking," where drug shipments are permitted to pass to build larger cases, despite the drug's lethality.
- Howell claims that when agents seized fentanyl pills in a case involving a child’s safety, they were reprimanded by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico, which preferred allowing the drugs to continue circulating.
- New Mexico officials, including Attorney General Raúl Torrez, have sued the federal government over the practice, linking it to the state's worsening fentanyl crisis and overdose emergency declarations.
- The DEA and Department of Justice have launched an independent investigation into Howell’s whistleblower claims but have not commented further, while Howell emphasizes the devastating impact fentanyl is having on New Mexico communities.
