4 Investigates: The ego and politics inside drug enforcement
Just off Central, on a summer day it’s easy to see pills exchanged by hand and smoking foil is passed among users in broad daylight. What remains largely unseen are the decisions made behind closed doors by the law enforcement agencies tasked with stopping the flow of the deadly drug.
ALBUQUERQUE, N. M. — The fentanyl crisis plays out in plain sight on Albuquerque’s streets. Just off Central, on a summer day it’s easy to see pills exchanged by hand and smoking foil is passed among users in broad daylight. What remains largely unseen are the decisions made behind closed doors by the law enforcement agencies tasked with stopping the flow of the deadly drug. Those decisions — and the tactics used to pursue major trafficking organizations — have become the focus of whistleblower allegations against the Drug Enforcement Administration, exposing a broader debate over how fentanyl investigations should be conducted and whether the pursuit of larger cases comes at a cost to public safety. Inside drug enforcementThe unpredictable nature of narcotics investigations was described by Jerry Koppman, a retired Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office narcotics detective who spent years working major drug cases. “You could do your cases as perfect as you can, dot all the i’s, cross all the t’s, secure a house for a search warrant, search it and not find the evidence,” Koppman said. “Or you can find the motherload. ”Koppman showed the pictures of large quantities of drugs, firearms and cash he seized during his career. But he also described drug enforcement as a world shaped by competing priorities, institutional politics and personal ambition. When allegations surfaced that DEA agents had allowed significant quantities of fentanyl to remain on the street while larger investigations were pursued, Koppman said, “Not surprised. I already knew it. ”Competing approachesA long-standing tension between local and federal drug enforcement agencies was described by Koppman as a difference in philosophy and tactics. Local investigators often focus on immediate arrests, building cases from street-level dealers upward through informants, undercover buys and search warrants. Federal investigators, by contrast, are often tasked with identifying and dismantling trafficking organizations, efforts that can involve months of surveillance, wiretap investigations and coordination across multiple jurisdictions. “It honestly annoys me that they turn everything into a wire when we can take law enforcement action,” Koppman said. Koppman previously worked alongside Special Agent David Howell, the DEA whistleblower whose allegations triggered scrutiny of the agency’s practices in New Mexico. Howell claimed that agents allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach Albuquerque streets while larger investigations were being developed. “And so, I’ll tell them ‘Hey, I could do a 10-pound buy-bust right now,'” Koppman recalled a case years before the whistleblower’s allegation. “And they responded by saying, ‘We watch 10 pounds walk out of here daily. '”Federal responseThe former U. S. Attorney of New Mexico,Alex Uballez has defended the agency’s broader focuson trafficking networks but questioned the numbers of pills in the whistleblower’s allegations. Uballez declined an interview with 4 Investigates. “We want to identify their networks and disrupt their networks,” DEA spokesman Carlos Briano said. 4 Investigates spoke with Briano late last year. When asked whether allowing smaller quantities of drugs to circulate could be justified if larger criminal organizations were ultimately dismantled, Briano declined to discuss specific investigative tactics. “I can’t go into how we work, the DEA,” Briano said. “We do work differently than a local or a state police officer. ”That approach was thrust into the spotlight in 2025 when a fentanyl investigation tied to Albuquerque culminated in what the DEA described as thelargest fentanyl seizure in agency history. “It was an operation that spanned over several months, absolutely,” Briano said. The DEA has argued its work attacking the precursors to manufacture fentanyl hasdecreased its potencyand saved lives in U. S. Questions about incentivesCritics of the DEA’s approach argue that institutional incentives may reward lengthy, complex investigations over immediate enforcement actions. Koppman pointed to what he described as professional rivalries and competition among investigators. “Ego — it’s all ego,” he said. He recalled hearing DEA colleagues becoming frustrated when he received recognition for major drug seizures. “Instead of saying, ‘Good, he got dope off the streets,’ it drove them crazy,” Koppman said. Tristan Leavitt, an attorney representing Howell, said complex wiretap investigations can carry significant weight within federal law enforcement agencies. “Wiretap cases are absolutely one of the criteria by which federal agents in law enforcement are judged on whether they have promotion potential,” Leavitt said. 4 Investigates asked the DEA if working a wire case is required for promotion. They did not answer that question, but sent this statement:There are a variety of factors involved in the career progression for DEA Special Agents. Promotions to a GS-13 Special Agent are competitive and require the DEA Special Agent to have developed a diverse range of skills, experience, and accomplishments. Whistleblower allegationsFederal court records show wiretap activity increased in New Mexico during 2023 and 2024, the same period Howell alleges he was directed to allow fentanyl trafficking activity to continue as larger investigations progressed. Wire taps were also used in the sprawlingDWI Deception investigation. Federal reports show nationally around half of all wire cases are related to narcotic investigations. “This was an awful, awful policy that likely resulted in the deaths of many, many individuals,” Leavitt said. Leavitt said a whistleblower provided the 2019 Department of Justice Fentanyl Protocol addressing fentanyl investigations acknowledged the dangers posed by the drug and directed investigators to make reasonable efforts to prevent its distribution when possible. Howell has argued that DEA leadership in New Mexico failed to follow that guidance. His whistleblower initial complaint was later dismissed in 2023. In 2024, Leavitt said, revised federal guidance granted investigative teams broader discretion in determining how fentanyl investigations should be managed. Overdose deathsCDC overdose deaths datashows New Mexico had seen a steady increase starting in 2019. Deaths plateaued from 2021 to 2023, and after a drop in 2024, overdose deaths have been on the rise in 2025. While much of the country has seen decreases in overdose deaths, New Mexicoconsistently ranks with the most overdose deathsper 100,000 people year after year. Accountability questionsThe DEA has declined to address Howell’s specific allegations, citing an ongoing investigation. Koppman remains unconvinced by the agency’s explanation that larger enforcement goals justified allowing fentanyl to continue moving through Albuquerque. “They had a lot of intel already. They had a lot of probable cause, and they just continued to let hundreds of thousands of pills hit the streets,” Koppman said. “I don’t like their answer. I don’t think it adds up. ”The dispute reflects a larger question facing law enforcement agencies nationwide: whether success should be measured by the immediate removal of drugs from the street or by the eventual dismantling of the organizations responsible for supplying them. For Related Stories:4 InvestigatesDEA Fentanyl FalloutRyan Laughlin