U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) on Wednesday shared multiple documents regarding how the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and higher-ups handled a whistleblower’s recent allegations regarding un-seized fentanyl shipments in Albuquerque.

The U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General on Aug. 17 announced it was investigating whistleblower complaints alleging that DEA agents monitoring fentanyl shipments in 2024 in New Mexico would routinely stop short of seizing them in hopes of catching bigger traffickers down the line.

The whistleblower’s existence and allegations, first revealed in articles by the Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal, prompted widespread criticism from New Mexico elected officials at the local, state and federal levels over the possibility that the DEA sanctioned the release of hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills into communities that already have high opioid addiction and overdose rates.

All five of New Mexico’s U.S. senators and representatives asked the DOJ in a letter earlier this month to extend and expand its probe further back than 2024. DEA whistleblower complaints make reference to these tactics, known as “fentanyl walking,” as far back as 2022, they wrote.

And in late August, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued federal law enforcement agencies over documents related to their fentanyl investigations in the state. That lawsuit against the DEA and DOJ remains pending.

Luján’s office announced Wednesday...

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