Feds: Fentanyl is the No. 1 drug driving Albuquerque crime

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say fentanyl is the No. 1 drug driving crime and violence in Albuquerque.

Drug Enforcement Administration say agents seized 242 pounds of fentanyl in the past fiscal year in New Mexico. That’s a 900% increase over the prior fiscal year and well over the amount captured around the state in the previous five fiscal years combined, according to DEA officials.

Authorities say fentanyl seizure amounts have surpassed heroin, which dropped to some of its lowest levels since 2016.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that despite the seizures, the amount of fentanyl that has slipped through the fingers of law enforcement has furthered an epidemic of overdoses in the New Mexico.