WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department's internal watchdog on Monday announced a review of a controversial tactic in which federal law enforcement allowed fentanyl to hit the streets to build bigger cases against drug traffickers.
The review will examine government policies and wiretap investigations in which the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration may have learned of fentanyl deliveries before they happened but stood down to avoid jeopardizing larger prosecutions.
Current and former agents said that investigative strategy — known as allowing drugs to “walk” — amounts to a gamble with public safety and may have violated Justice Department rules intended to safeguard communities from a synthetic opioid the White House last year designated as a “ weapon of mass destruction.”
The review comes less than two months after an Associated Press investigation found DEA agents repeatedly monitored — but did not seize — major fentanyl shipments in New Mexico between 2023 and 2025. It was disclosed in a news release by Justice Department Inspector General Don Berthiaume, one of his first official actions since being sworn in on Friday.
The DEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. DEA Administrator Terry Cole requested a narrower inspector general inquiry following AP’s reporting, including a review of his agency’s handling of a whistleblower complaint brought by Agent David Howell.
Cole wrote in an earlier statement that his request for an outside inquiry “should not be interpreted as reflecting any lack of confidence in the professionalism or integrity of DEA personnel.”
Howell told AP that federal authorities “poisoned our community to make cases” in New Mexico. An internal DEA report reviewed by AP detailed how the DEA watched and declined to interdict a fentanyl delivery of 74,000 pills in a mobile home park in Albuquerque.
The fentanyl went unseized amid the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. history and as DEA led a public awareness campaign — “One Pill Can Kill” — emphasizing that even a few milligrams of the substance can be lethal.
The inspector general said the review will focus on the Justice Department's actions over the past two years. It could determine whether the DEA permitted similar drug shipments to occur in other cities.
Howell said he expects the review to show federal authorities “endangered the public through willful inaction.”
The new review comes as New Mexico authorities continue an investigation into whether DEA agents broke state law by allowing hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach the streets of Albuquerque. Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, recently threatened to sue the Justice Department after it refused to provide a list of records he requested. The DEA also has not allowed Howell to be interviewed by state authorities.
“The state is bearing the societal and financial harms of an influx of fentanyl into its communities,” Torrez wrote in a letter to federal authorities earlier this month.
Two additional DEA whistleblowers in New Mexico have come forward in recent weeks, including one who said his colleagues there failed to seize 350,000 fentanyl pills that they learned about during the very first call they intercepted in a 2024 wiretap. That shipment was part of an investigation that resulted in the largest fentanyl seizure in DEA history. Court records show agents had the opportunity to seize thousands of fentanyl pills but allowed trafficking to continue for months as they investigated.
The other whistleblower filed a complaint this month alleging his colleagues monitored — but did not arrest — a drug courier who made repeated deliveries of fentanyl from Phoenix to Albuquerque between 2022 and 2023. Agents estimated each delivery to contain between 50,000 and 100,000 fentanyl pills that went unseized.
Goodman reported from Miami.
FILE - Fentanyl pills are displayed at a Drug Enforcement Administration research laboratory on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Northern Virginia. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets running back Breece Hall strained his groin during practice Monday and will have tests to determine the severity of the injury.
Coach Aaron Glenn appeared cautiously optimistic after practice that Hall’s injury wasn't serious.
“I don’t think it was a big deal,” he said, “but I want to make sure I get the evaluation on that.”
Hall, the team’s top running back coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season, caught a pass late in the practice session, pulled up and fell to the rain-slicked grass. He got up and walked gingerly to the sideline, where trainers appeared to be examining his upper right thigh/abdomen area.
“My stomach dropped a little bit, for sure,” backup running back Braelon Allen said. “From the sound of it, it don't seem too serious, so hope we can get him back as quickly as possible.”
The 25-year-old Hall is considered a key to New York’s offense. He received a three-year contract extension in the offseason from the Jets worth up to $45.75 million. The team had used the franchise tag on Hall, whose contract — which will pay him $15.25 million per year — made him the third-highest paid running back in the NFL at the time.
Hall ran for a career-high 1,065 yards last season despite missing the final game with a knee ailment, becoming the first Jets player to top 1,000 yards rushing in a season since Chris Ivory in 2015. The 2022 second-round draft pick from Iowa State has 1,000 yards from scrimmage in three straight seasons, making him just the sixth player — and fifth running back — in franchise history to accomplish that feat.
If Hall needs to miss some time, the Jets' backfield will be a bit short-handed. Isaiah Davis, a fifth-round pick in 2024, is sidelined with what Glenn has said is a minor knee injury. Allen, Kene Nwangwu and undrafted rookies Sam Scott and Chip Trayanum are the other running backs on New York's roster.
“Injuries are a part of this league,” Glenn said. “It's the biggest equalizer in this league. I think as a coach, obviously you don't want to see any of your players go down, but you also have to continue to move forward.”
Allen, who was limited to four games with a knee injury last season, would step into the starter's role if Hall is out for any practices and the two remaining preseason games. The 2024 fourth-rounder said it was a “sigh of relief” to run for a 31-yard touchdown in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay on Saturday night, showing he's healthy.
"I know that most people think that, that once you lose a starter, there's a huge drop-off," Glenn said. “I like to look at it like all of our guys are starters.”
Quarterback Geno Smith was back on the practice field after sitting out the preseason opener with a sore ankle.
Smith wore a sleeve on his lower left leg and walked with a slight limp. He participated in team drills, but it's uncertain if he'll play in New York's preseason game at Pittsburgh on Friday night.
Wide receiver Garrett Wilson didn't practice because of a stomach illness, Glenn said.
Wilson caught two passes from rookie Cade Klubnik for 32 yards in one series in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay. Glenn said the star receiver came in and was vomiting Monday, but “he'll be fine.”
Linebacker Mykal Walker injured a calf. Rookie cornerback Mory Bamba, who was one of the standouts against the Buccaneers with four passes defensed, has a knee injury that Glenn said will sideline him a few weeks.
Cornerback Qwan'tez Stiggers, who is in the concussion protocol after passing out during practice last week and briefly being hospitalized, was working in the rehabilitation area.
Linebacker Demario Davis and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick got the day off from practice for veteran rest days.
Defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat practiced for the first time in training camp after being activated Saturday from the non-football injury list with a hamstring ailment.
Sweat was acquired from Tennessee during the offseason for edge rusher Jermaine Johnson. The 6-foot-4, 366-pound run-stuffing presence is expected to help anchor the defensive line. He was taken 38th overall by the Titans in 2024 out of Texas, and had three sacks and 85 total tackles in 29 games, including 28 starts, in Tennessee.
“Obviously, he's a big man and he has the ability to take up two gaps,” Glenn said. “When you're able to do that as a big man, it allows the linebackers to get a chance to run, and also he’s going to take up two blockers, which means, they're missing a blocker on someone — that’s the reason why he’s here."
Edge rusher Joseph Ossai also practiced after beginning camp on the physically unable to perform list.
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New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) leads his team onto the field before a preseason NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) runs from Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ayden Garnes, left, during the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Jets running back Breece Hall runs up field during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
