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

The decision to monitor but not seize the shipments was part of a tactic to gather intelligence and build cases against major drug trafficking organizations, the Associated Press reported. 

David Howell, DEA special agent, told the Associated Press that the "willful blindness" of the tactic "poisoned our communities" and got people killed. 

According to Alex Uballez, who served as U.S. attorney in New Mexico from 2022 through last year, the tactic reflected the office's limited resources and the belief that prosecuting larger organizations would have a larger impact than seizing small shipments of the drug. 

Nationwide deaths from fentanyl fell 14% last year, but deaths in New Mexico increased 21%.