The Governor of New Mexico has asked for a criminal investigation into the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This follows reports that federal agents allowed fentanyl shipments to enter local markets to help them carry out larger investigations.

新墨西哥州州長已要求對緝毒局（DEA）進行刑事調查。此前有報導指出，聯邦探員為了協助進行更大規模的調查，而允許芬太尼流入當地市場。

The controversy began after an Associated Press report showed that between 2023 and 2025, DEA agents used a strategy called 'letting them walk.' This means they allowed synthetic opioids to stay on the streets to identify the leaders of trafficking organizations. For example, in 2023, 74,000 pills in Albuquerque were watched but not seized. Former U.S. Attorney Alex Uballez explained that these decisions were made because of limited resources and a goal to destroy entire criminal networks rather than stopping single shipments.

這場爭議始於美聯社的一份報導，報導顯示在 2023 年至 2025 年間，DEA 探員採取了一種稱為「讓他們走」的策略。這意味著他們允許合成鴉片類藥物留在街頭，以識別走私組織的領導者。例如，2023 年在阿爾伯克基有 74,000 顆藥丸被監視但未被沒收。前美國檢察官 Alex Uballez 解釋，做出這些決定是因為資源有限，且目標是摧毀整個犯罪網絡，而非僅停止單一貨運。

There is a major disagreement between the state and federal governments. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham described these actions as reckless and emphasized that the agency put public health at risk. Consequently, she has asked the state attorney general to check if any state laws were broken. On the other hand, the DEA asserts that its actions were legal and followed Department of Justice guidelines. They argue that it is impossible to seize every single shipment. This tension is worse because overdose deaths in New Mexico rose by 21%, while they fell by 14% across the rest of the country.

州政府與聯邦政府之間存在重大分歧。州長 Michelle Lujan Grisham 將這些行為描述為魯莽，並強調該機構將公眾健康置於風險之中。因此，她已要求州檢察長核查是否違反了任何州法律。另一方面，DEA 聲稱其行動合法且符合司法部指南。他們認為沒收每一單貨運是不可能的。由於新墨西哥州的藥物過量死亡人數上升了 21%，而全國其他地區則下降了 14%，使得這種緊張局勢更加嚴重。

In response, DEA Administrator Terry Cole has requested an investigation by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General to review supervisory decisions. Furthermore, a whistleblower named David Howell has given testimony to Congress, leading Senator Bernie Moreno to ask for the exact number of deaths caused by this policy. Meanwhile, advocacy groups and families of victims have pointed out that these operations contradict the agency's own public health messages.

對此，DEA 行政官 Terry Cole 已要求司法部監察長辦公室進行調查，以審核監督決定。此外，一名名為 David Howell 的舉報人已向國會作證，促使參議員 Bernie Moreno 要求提供該政策導致的確切死亡人數。同時，倡議團體與受害者家屬指出，這些行動與該機構自身的公共衛生訊息相矛盾。

Currently, both state and federal authorities are investigating whether the DEA's investigative methods in New Mexico were legal and ethical.

目前，州政府與聯邦當局均在調查 DEA 在新墨西哥州的調查手段是否合法且符合倫理。