Bureau of Prohibition

Bureau of Prohibition
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Agency overview
FormedJanuary 16, 1920
Preceding agency
  • Agency established
Dissolved1933 (1933)
Superseding agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionUnited States
Legal jurisdictionAs per operations jurisdiction
Operational structure
Overseen by
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.

The Bureau of Prohibition (or Prohibition Unit) was the United States federal law enforcement agency with the responsibility of investigating the possession, distribution, consumption, and trafficking of alcohol and alcoholic beverages in the United States of America during the Prohibition era.[1] The enumerated enforcement powers of this organization were vested in the Volstead Act. Federal Prohibition Agents of the Bureau were commonly referred to by members of the public and the press of the day as "Prohis," or "Dry Agents."[2] In the sparsely populated areas of the American west, agents were sometimes called "Prohibition Cowboys."[3] At its peak, the Bureau employed 2,300 dry agents.[4]

  1. ^ "How was Prohibition enforced? | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  2. ^ "18th Amendment 1919 (National Prohibition Act) | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives". www.atf.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "The Early Years" (PDF). Drug Enforcement Administration. January 1, 2020.