近距离内射合集

A retired federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent contends he was retaliated against for supporting a whistleblower who alleges the agency has allowed massive quantities of fentanyl onto New Mexico streets in pursuit of larger prosecutions.

Kevin Small, who worked as a DEA contract employee after retiring from a 31-year career with the agency in Albuquerque, is asking the U.S. Department of Justice鈥檚 Office of Inspector General to investigate what he describes as recent retaliation.

His complaint is detailed in a letter Wednesday from Tristan Leavitt, president of Fairfax, Virginia-based Empower Oversight, a nonprofit that advocates for federal whistleblowers.

The organization represents Small and Albuquerque-based DEA agent David Howell, who filed a whistleblower complaint in 2023 alleging he was discouraged from stopping suspected deliveries of tens of thousands of fentanyl pills in Albuquerque in 2023 and 2024. Howell contends the practice violated Department of Justice policy.

Since filing his initial complaint with the Office of Special Counsel, Howell has cited additional instances in which DEA agents monitored wiretaps and watched suspected deliveries of more than 1 million fentanyl pills to traffickers' residences without intervening.

The practice, known as "fentanyl walking," has been defended by some prosecutors and law enforcement officials as an effective way to dismantle major drug trafficking organizations. But Howell and others contend the strategy prioritizes long-term investigations over immediate public safety, putting New Mexico residents at risk.

Howell's allegations, first reported by the 近距离内射合集 and The Associated Press on June 21, prompted the DEA's acting administrator to request an investigation by the Justice Department鈥檚 Office of Inspector General. New Mexico Attorney General Ra煤l Torrez also launched a separate inquiry at the request of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Until now, Howell has been the only DEA employee to publicly come forward about the practice.

According to the letter, Small learned of a court-authorized wiretap targeting a major drug trafficker in 2024. During the first intercepted call, agents learned of a shipment of 350,000 fentanyl pills headed to Albuquerque but did not seize it.

Small's reaction was, "Are you kidding me?" the letter states.

"Small was struck by the awareness of this amount of fentanyl from the very first wiretapped phone call," Leavitt wrote.

After news reports about Howell's complaint gained national attention, Small had what the letter describes as a "tense confrontation" with Jeffrey Armijo, the DEA's assistant special agent in charge in Albuquerque.

Armijo could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

According to the letter, Armijo called Small into his office and stopped him at the door.

"If you support David Howell, we're through," Armijo told him, according to the letter.

Small responded that Howell "had not said or done anything" with which he disagreed, the letter states.

Armijo also demanded to know whether Small had connected an Associated Press reporter with Howell. Small said he had.

"Armijo then threatened an investigation of Mr. Small," the letter states.

The letter says the DEA subsequently imposed strict new work hours on Small and required additional reporting of his work activities. Armijo also reversed an earlier decision that would have allowed Small to work part time.

Small later learned Armijo "had instructed DEA agents not to give him any further work," according to the letter.

Small retired from the DEA in 2014 but has continued working as a senior financial investigator under contract with the agency.

Because of the "hostility and retaliation" he faced from Armijo, Small said he had "no choice but to submit his resignation," effective Aug. 31, according to the letter.

The letter says Small was familiar with a 2023 internal Justice Department policy governing fentanyl wiretap investigations that required agents to make reasonable efforts to mitigate risks to the public.

Those efforts were to include executing search warrants, interdicting contraband and protecting public safety "even if taking preventive measures may run the risk of compromising the investigation."

"Thus, (Small) was concerned as he began to hear about potential violations ... from David Howell in 2023, as well as in comments from others in the office," Leavitt wrote.

After Howell filed his complaint in 2023, Small attended a meeting about a wiretap investigation during which two assistant U.S. attorneys in Albuquerque "explicitly directed" those present not to discuss the case with Howell, the letter states.

According to the letter, Small told others in the DEA's Albuquerque office that the U.S. Attorney's Office was wrong and that the DEA should stand up for Howell.

Instead, "Mr. Small soon became aware that the DEA in New Mexico started locking down access to case files, which he believed was to prevent SA Howell or others from learning about additional fentanyl walking."

"The Albuquerque District Office also started locking access to the wire room, with only specific DEA personnel permitted to enter," the letter states.

Because Small continued speaking with Howell, both men were barred from the DEA room where court-authorized wiretaps were monitored, according to the letter.

The letter also says Small made protected disclosures to an Associated Press reporter regarding Howell's credibility as an agent and whistleblower.

Howell alleges he also faced retaliation after filing his complaint, including being barred by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico from testifying in federal court cases.

Colleen Heild is an investigative reporter for the Journal. You can reach her at cheild@abqjournal.com.