What a reporter found when uncovering why federal agents allowed a deadly drug to hit the streets
Read Original Source
This photo provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration shows pills containing fentanyl which were seized by the DEA in New Mexico, on April 28, 2025. (DEA via AP) DEA Special Agent David Howell, who filed a whistleblower complaint, poses for a portrait outside the U.S. district courthouse in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) DEA Special Agent David Howell, who filed a whistleblower complaint, stands outside the U.S. district courthouse in Albuquerque, N.M.
AI Summary
Main Idea: An Associated Press investigation, based in part on whistleblower David Howell’s complaint, found that the DEA let large amounts of fentanyl go unseized in New Mexico to help build bigger cases.
Key Points:
- AP reporters reviewed internal DEA records and interviewed current and former agents to trace how the drugs were allowed to move.
- Howell said the agency took a risky approach that put public safety at stake, including one case involving 74,000 fentanyl pills.
- Federal officials defended the practice as a lawful tactic to catch bigger traffickers and said it followed department guidance.
- The Office of Special Counsel found a possible sign of wrongdoing, but later Justice Department review said the decisions were reasonable and did not create a specific public health danger.
Impact on the People
Negative Impact
Allowing fentanyl pills to go unseized could raise overdose deaths, harm families, and shake public trust in the DEA and prosecutors.
Positive Impact
Whistleblower oversight and the Office of Special Counsel may push agencies to set safer rules and better protect communities.
How did each entity affect people?
Rate how each entity in this article affected the American people.
No entity suggestions or linked entities saved yet.
Candidate Entities8 candidates · 5 weighted vote min · 70% decision
- DEA Special Agent David HowellpersonPrimaryAI selected
Whistleblower whose complaint and account are central to the article’s main allegation about fentanyl being allowed onto the.
Include 0 (0%)Ignore 0 (0%)5 to threshold - United States Drug Enforcement Administrationgovernment agency or bodyPrimaryAI selected
Central agency accused of permitting fentanyl shipments to go unseized and whose decisions are being scrutinized.
Include 0 (0%)Ignore 0 (0%)5 to threshold - Alex UballezpersonMajorAI selected
Named former U.S. attorney whose defense of the “walk” strategy is a key part of the article’s accountability.
Include 0 (0%)Ignore 0 (0%)5 to threshold - Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibilitygovernment agency or bodyMajorAI selected
Internal oversight body whose findings about the DEA’s conduct are central to the article.
Include 0 (0%)Ignore 0 (0%)5 to threshold - Office of Special Counselgovernment agency or bodyMajorAI selected
Federal whistleblower office that received Howell’s complaint and found a substantial likelihood of wrongdoing.
Include 0 (0%)Ignore 0 (0%)5 to threshold - United States Department of Justicegovernment agency or bodyContextCandidate
Parent department whose rulemaking and internal oversight are part of the story’s institutional context.
Include 0 (0%)Ignore 0 (0%)5 to threshold
Comments 0
Comments here are the same thread shown when this article appears in The Pulse.
No comments on this article yet.
Sign in to comment