Attorney General Raúl Torrez today announced that the New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ) has challenged the U.S. Department of Justice’s denial of the NMDOJ’s request for records related to its investigation into the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) fentanyl operations in New Mexico. The records are central to the NMDOJ’s investigation into allegations that the DEA knowingly allowed significant quantities of fentanyl to remain on New Mexico streets during federal sting operations, potentially exposing communities to preventable harm.

“The federal government cannot hide behind procedural excuses when New Mexicans deserve answers. Our investigation seeks to determine whether federal decisions allowed dangerous quantities of fentanyl to reach our communities and whether those decisions violated New Mexico law. Instead of engaging with the merits of our request, the U.S. Attorney’s Office issued a denial that misstates its own regulations and applies legal standards that simply do not exist.” – AG Torrez