DEA whistleblower alleges agency let fentanyl pills reach streets

The short version

• DEA Special Agent David Howell alleges the agency let millions of fentanyl pills reach the streets through a tactic that lets traffickers distribute drugs before agents follow them.[CBS News]
• Howell says he warned DEA managers for three years that the practice was dangerous and that they did not act on his concerns.[CBS News]
• Howell says a 2023 Albuquerque operation recovered 6,000 to 7,000 pills, and that the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Mexico criticized agents for seizing them.[CBS News]
• The DEA and DOJ declined interview requests, and a DOJ Inspector General investigation requested after the complaint remains ongoing.[CBS News]

Key facts

• DEA Special Agent David Howell, who is still an active agent, told CBS News in a television interview that the agency allowed millions of fentanyl pills to reach the streets.[CBS News]
• Howell says he told DEA managers for three years that dangerous amounts of fentanyl were reaching the streets and that they did not act on his warnings.[CBS News]
• Howell says that in 2023 a team he was part of tracked a suspect in Albuquerque and that agents found between 6,000 and 7,000 fentanyl pills in the suspect's vehicle.[CBS News]
• Howell says the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico criticized agents for seizing the pills rather than allowing them to be delivered.[CBS News]
• New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has sued the federal government over the practice of letting fentanyl walk.[CBS News]
• The DOJ said DEA Administrator Cole requested an independent DOJ Inspector General investigation after the whistleblower came forward, and that the investigation remains ongoing.[CBS News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Whistleblower says DEA let fentanyl pills hit the streetsCBS News - US