adminThe Associated Press dropped a story this week that ought to make every parent, police officer, and honest lawman furious. A DEA whistleblower says agents in New Mexico watched shipments of counterfeit fentanyl pills move into neighborhoods without seizing them — all so prosecutors could try to take down bigger traffickers later. If true, this is not just a mistake; it’s a gamble with human lives.
What the AP revealed about DEA fentanyl tactics
The AP report relies on internal DEA records and interviews, including with Special Agent David Howell, who filed a formal whistleblower complaint. Howell says agents repeatedly “monitored” shipments of fentanyl pills and let them reach communities between 2023 and 2025. The numbers quoted are shocking: individual deliveries of tens of thousands of pills, and at least one case that investigators say involved as many as 1.8 million pills. Howell’s blunt line — “We poisoned our community to make cases” — is hard to read and harder to shrug off.
Why this matters: Fast and Furious, but deadlier
The tactic of letting contraband “walk” to reach higher-level criminals is not new. But fentanyl is not like other drugs. A few milligrams can kill. Allowing counterfeit pills, often made in cartel labs, to circulate is not a mere tactical choice — it carries a real risk of death. The DEA tells reporters its decisions were lawful and reasonable. The Office of Special Counsel earlier flagged a “substantial likelihood of wrongdoing” and referred Howell’s complaint to the Justice Department. The Justice Department’s own internal review previously found the prosecutions reasonable, so we are left with two competing official narratives and a lot of people in harm’s way.
Who should answer for this — and who should investigate
Empower Oversight and whistleblower advocates are demanding hearings and a probe by the DOJ Inspector General and Congress. That’s exactly where this belongs. If law-enforcement leaders thought sacrificing communities to catch big fish was acceptable, we need to know who signed off and why. Acting Justice Department leadership should let the inspector general and Congress see the paper trail. And if internal reviews concluded the tactic was safe when it plainly risked lives, those reviews need fresh scrutiny — not cover-ups dressed up as careful lawyering.
Conclusion: Accountability, not excuses
Americans want law and order, not lab experiments on their own neighborhoods. If DEA agents or prosecutors made a conscious call that put people at risk, those decisions deserve public airing and real accountability. Call it Fast and Furious 2.0 if you like — only this time the stakes are deadlier. Congress and the DOJ must stop hiding behind legalese and do what voters expect: demand answers, protect communities, and make sure no one treats public safety as a bargaining chip in a sting operation.
