Drug Enforcement Administration

Drug Enforcement Administration
Drug Enforcement Administration's seal
Drug Enforcement Administration's seal
DEA Special Agent badge
Flag of the DEA
Flag of the DEA
Agency overview
FormedJuly 1, 1973; 51 years ago (1973-07-01)
Preceding agencies
Employees9,848 (2021)
Annual budgetUS$ 3.28 billion (FY2021)[1]
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agency
(Operations jurisdiction)
United States
Operations jurisdictionUnited States
Legal jurisdictionNational
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersArlington County, Virginia, U.S.[2]
Special Agents4,649
Agency executives
Parent agencyUnited States Department of Justice
Website
dea.gov

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act, sharing concurrent jurisdiction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. However, the DEA has sole responsibility for coordinating and pursuing U.S. drug investigations both domestically and internationally.

It was established in 1973 as part of the U.S. government's war on drugs. The DEA has an intelligence unit that is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community. While the unit is part of the DEA chain-of-command, it also reports to the Director of National Intelligence. The DEA has been criticized for scheduling drugs that have medical uses, and for focusing on operations that allow it to seize money rather than those involving drugs that cause more harm.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "Staffing and Budget". www.dea.gov. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  2. ^ Sernovitz, Daniel J. (September 12, 2018). "DEA commits to Pentagon City for another 15 years". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  3. ^ "DEA Leadership". www.dea.gov. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.