DEA Lets Fentanyl Flood Streets While Restricting ADHD Meds
Even as it grappled with the deadliest drug epidemic in American history, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration permitted hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach the streets of New Mexico between 2023 and 2025. DEA agents repeatedly monitored shipments of these pills without seizing them, a tactic employed to build larger criminal cases against traffickers of the synthetic opioid. This strategy, however, raised concerns among agents and experts, who argued it amounted to a gamble with public safety and potentially violated Justice Department guidelines. While the DEA maintains its investigative decisions were lawful and reasonable, critics assert that this approach put communities at risk and may have contributed to overdose deaths.
John Q. Hosedrinker