New Mexico governor demands federal reparations after accusing DEA of fueling state's fentanyl crisis

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is demanding the national authorities wage reparations aft accusing the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of allowing millions of fentanyl pills to flood her authorities during an undercover cognition without notifying authorities oregon section officials.

Calling the alleged cognition "the astir derelict, despicable enactment successful my agelong career," Lujan Grisham said the fallout has forced New Mexico to determination much than $1.5 cardinal into instrumentality enforcement, behavioral health, addiction attraction and different nationalist information initiatives portion battling overdose deaths and wide addiction.

"The DEA stood silently by and watched thousands of fentanyl pills get distributed with nary arrests, nary evidence, nary announcement that we cognize of anyplace else," Lujan Grisham said during a Monday quality conference. "Someone indispensable wage for the harm to this state, the nationalist information risks that volition beryllium shared by everyone present for a decade."

Lujan Grisham said she wants the national authorities to reimburse New Mexico for the wealth it has spent combating the fentanyl epidemic, including instrumentality enforcement operations, behavioral wellness services, addiction treatment, overdose prevention and different nationalist information initiatives.

NEW MEXICO AG LAUNCHES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO DEA OVER ALLEGATIONS AGENTS LET FENTANYL FLOOD STATE

A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chemist checks confiscated pulverization containing fentanyl astatine the DEA Northeast Regional Laboratory connected October 8, 2019, successful New York. (Don EMMERT / AFP via Getty Images)

She besides called connected Congress to prohibit akin DEA operations successful the future, necessitate the national authorities to afloat money the costs imposed connected states by specified operations and clasp the officials progressive personally accountable.

"I've had to bash this since 2019 3 times," Lujan Grisham said. "We're present again, and this one, successful fact, I deliberation is the astir devastating."

NEW MEXICO AG LAUNCHES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO DEA OVER ALLEGATIONS AGENTS LET FENTANYL FLOOD STATE

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks astatine a rally hosted by the Democratic Party of New Mexico astatine Ted M. Gallegos Community Center successful Albuquerque, New Mexico, connected November 3, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The Democratic politician compared the contention to erstwhile national failures she said harmed New Mexico, including the national effect to the COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S. Forest Service's prescribed burns that sparked the state's largest wildfire. She noted the wildfire yet resulted successful a multibillion-dollar national liability settlement, arguing the DEA cognition should pb to akin accountability.

Lujan Grisham said her medication repeatedly asked some the Biden and Trump administrations for much national resources to combat New Mexico's escalating fentanyl crisis, including further DEA agents and coordinated enforcement efforts, but those requests went unanswered.

"Everybody down maine and the Office of the Governor person been asking some administrations… to bash much astir nationalist information successful the authorities of New Mexico," she said, adding that her medication held aggregate meetings, sent aggregate letters and requested further resources and agents, yet "it's been remarkably silent."

NEW MEXICO AG LAUNCHES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO DEA OVER ALLEGATIONS AGENTS LET FENTANYL FLOOD STATE

Fentanyl pills seized successful New Mexico connected April 28, 2025, arsenic the bureau faces scrutiny implicit allegations it allowed different shipments to scope the streets. (DEA via AP)

Lujan Grisham besides urged lawmakers to necessitate national agencies to notify authorities and section officials earlier conducting akin operations, reconstruct astir $25 cardinal successful national behavioral wellness and nationalist information backing she said has been chopped and enact authorities preventing akin DEA tactics from being utilized successful the future.

Her remarks came days aft New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced a transgression probe into allegations that the DEA knowingly allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to scope New Mexico communities portion agents pursued larger transgression investigations.

The Associated Press antecedently reported that DEA agents repeatedly monitored, but did not seize, ample fentanyl shipments betwixt 2023 and 2025 portion attempting to physique broader transgression cases.

Torrez said the probe volition analyse imaginable ineligible remedies, including transgression prosecution, civilian litigation and structural reforms intended to forestall akin behaviour by DEA agents successful the future.

"The families who person mislaid children, siblings, and parents to fentanyl merit the information astir what the national authorities knew and what it failed to do," Torrez said successful a statement.

"If the DEA stood by portion poison flooded our communities, that is not a bureaucratic failure," helium continued. "It is simply a betrayal of the radical it was sworn to protect."

Torrez said his bureau "will prosecute each ineligible avenue disposable to clasp the liable parties accountable and marque definite this ne'er happens again."

On Monday, Lujan Grisham echoed Torrez's telephone for accountability, saying those who approved oregon oversaw the cognition should look consequences.

"I privation the radical who knew this organisation was occurring without notifying anyone and allowing it to hap implicit and implicit again held accountable," Lujan Grisham said. "My stake is galore of those radical are inactive successful that DEA office."

"I americium truthful angry. This is an outrage," she added. "They should beryllium accountable for the magnitude of clip it's going to instrumentality america to combat the scourge of addiction and fentanyl overdose deaths."

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Fox News Digital has reached retired to the DEA for remark connected the matter.

Fox News Digital's Mike Sinkewicz contributed to this report.