ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Chances are over the last six months you’ve probably read a headline or two about fentanyl busts and federal crime fighters in Albuquerque. In September 2022, the FBI’s largest fentanyl bust in bureau history happened in the Duke City. That was followed up with a second series of FBI raids in February.

Also in February, the FBI seized nearly a quarter-million pills after New Mexico State Police responded to a car crash in Albuquerque. Overseeing a lot of that federal law enforcement work is Raul Bujanda, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque field office.

This week on KRQE News 13’s “New Mexico News Podcast,” Chris McKee and Gabrielle Burkhart sit down with Bujanda for a candid conversation about the bureau’s crime fighting efforts. While much of their work is tied to drug investigations, the FBI is also dealing with at least five bank robberies in 2023 after a record year in 2022. They also handle crimes on tribal land, white collar crime, gang crime and help investigate other local issues.

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A few news stories are mentioned in this week’s episode. The FBI’s Albuquerque office had a record fentanyl bust in September, followed up by a second connected bust in early February. And finally, here’s more on the recent crash that New Mexico State Police first responded to, which lead to a major fentanyl seizure.

Download new episodes of the New Mexico News Podcast every Tuesday, starting around 5:30 a.m., Mountain time. Episodes are available on most podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and Podbean among many others.

Having trouble finding the show? Try searching your favorite podcast player with the term “KRQE” or “New Mexico News Podcast” (without the quotes). You can also use the links above to find the podcast on each respective service, or listen to the audio player at the top of this post.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion as to who should be interviewed on the podcast, let us know! Email the hosts at chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com.