Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States Department of Justice law enforcement agency. It is tasked with enforcing the federal controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States of America and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets.
Not only is the DEA the lead agency for domestic enforcement of federal drug laws (sharing concurrent jurisdiction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation), it also has sole responsibility for coordinating and pursuing U.S. drug investigations in foreign countries.
The DEA's El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) provides tactical intelligence to Federal, State, local, tribal, and international law enforcement organizations. Epic is comprised of 21 participating agencies with a focus on the Western Hemisphere to identify threats to the Nation and a particular emphasis on the Southwest border.[1]
