New Mexico's attorney general has opened a criminal investigation into claims that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach the streets. The extraordinary inquiry comes days after The Associated Press reported that DEA agents monitored but did not seize major shipments of the opioid to build bigger cases. DEA whistleblower David Howell says the strategy risked public safety. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is asking for documents from the DEA to determine whether its agents violated state law. The DEA has called for an independent investigation by the Justice Department's watchdog.