Staggering amounts of fentanyl hit streets as the DEA watched and took no action, records show

AP reporting and whistleblowers say the DEA let large shipments of fentanyl reach New Mexico streets while building bigger trafficking cases.
A DEA agent who raised alarms says that tactic endangered communities and may have contributed to overdoses; he alleges retaliation after speaking up.
The DEA and Justice Department defend the strategy as lawful and aimed at catching major traffickers, even as Albuquerque remains a fentanyl hotspot.