New Mexico AG sues DOJ over DEA fentanyl records

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice and Attorney General Todd Blanche to obtain records regarding federal fentanyl operations in the state.

The legal action follows whistleblower allegations that Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents engaged in a practice known as ‘fentanyl walking.’ This practice allegedly involved allowing fentanyl shipments to proceed through New Mexico between 2022 and 2025 to monitor and arrest higher-level drug traffickers.

Torrez is seeking internal policies, investigative files, and communications related to these allegations. The lawsuit comes amid a rise in local drug fatalities; the complaint notes that New Mexico experienced a 21 percent increase in overdose deaths during the period under investigation, while national overdose deaths declined by 14 percent. The Attorney General accused the DOJ of ‘stonewalling’ efforts to investigate the public health consequences of these alleged federal practices.