DOJ Inspector General Probes DEA Tactic Letting Fentanyl Shipments Proceed
DOJ Inspector General Don Berthiaume announced a review in Washington on Monday, August 17, 2026, into Drug Enforcement Administration practices that allowed some fentanyl shipments to proceed unseized.[1] The review will examine whether agency choices and policies put public safety at risk and whether broader oversight or rule changes are needed.[1]
Berthiaume said the probe will focus on the last two years of DOJ and DEA actions, including wiretap cases where agents allegedly knew of deliveries in advance but stood down.[1] The review was triggered by an Associated Press investigation that found agents monitored large fentanyl shipments in New Mexico between 2023 and 2025 without seizing them, including one load of 74,000 pills in Albuquerque.[1] DEA Administrator Terry Cole had requested a narrower inquiry limited to New Mexico and a whistleblower complaint by Agent David Howell, but the inspector general's review will be broader.[1]
An AP investigation reported agents repeatedly tracked but did not intercept loads, prompting public outcry and internal complaints.[1] Advocates and overdose-prevention groups are urging DOJ to reinstate a stricter 2017 policy that required fentanyl be seized or blocked as soon as practicable.[1] DOJ rewrote those rules in 2024 to give agents more discretion, a change critics say may have allowed shipments to reach the street.[1]
The inspector general's review could determine whether the 2024 policy change or operational choices led to avoidable harm and whether new oversight or rule changes are warranted.[1] The office did not immediately set a public timeline for the review.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Monday, August 17, 2026, DOJ Inspector General Don Berthiaume announced a review of DEA practices that allowed some fentanyl shipments to proceed unseized.
- The probe will focus on the last two years of DOJ and DEA actions, including wiretap cases where agents allegedly knew of deliveries in advance but stood down.
- The review was triggered by an AP investigation showing DEA agents repeatedly monitored, but did not seize, large fentanyl shipments in New Mexico between 2023 and 2025, including one load of 74,000 pills in Albuquerque.
- DEA Administrator Terry Cole had earlier requested a narrower inquiry into the New Mexico handling and the response to whistleblower Agent David Howell’s complaint.
- Advocates are urging DOJ to restore a stricter 2017 policy requiring fentanyl to be seized or blocked from distribution as soon as practicable; DOJ rewrote those rules in 2024 to give agents more discretion.
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