Arrest of 13 Suspected Members of Turkey Drug Trafficking Group

A former supervisory special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Virginia, Brian Shanahan spent more than 20 years investigating drug trafficking operations, arresting suspects, interviewing witnesses, and seizing assets. Known for being a dedicated professional, Brian Shanahan handled domestic and international cases for the DEA and spent some time in Turkey as a case agent for the organization.

In March 2020, authorities from Europe announced that they had arrested 13 individuals who are believed to be part of a drug trafficking group based in Turkey. These arrests were made after authorities from several European countries investigated the group for 2 years. According to Europol, two high-value targets were included among the 13 arrested individuals, and those arrested were captured in Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Turkey.

Along with the individual arrests, European authorities also seized 2.4 tons of heroin. It is believed that the group planned on shipping the drugs to Europe in construction materials or food containers that would be put either on trucks or cargo ships. The drugs most likely originated from the Middle East, based on reports, and were headed to the Netherlands. Cocaine, likely from Latin America, was also seized in the operation.

Safely Storing a Sports Card Collection

Passionate government agent Brian Shanahan served as a supervisory special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) under the United States Department of Justice. Outside of his work investigating money laundering and drug trafficking operations around the world, former DEA agent Brian Shanahan is fond of collecting sports cards.

In the past, sports cards were rarely protected. Children would often place the cards in the wheels of their bikes, or adults would store their amateur collections in shoeboxes. Recently, collecting sports cards has become much more serious, and the cards themselves need special storage and care to keep them from losing their value.

One of the most common ways sports cards get ruined is through UV light. Exposure to UV light irreversibly damages sports cards, thus making them more brittle and faded. The worst sort of UV damage occurs when cards are exposed to direct sunlight, but even ambient sunlight is capable of causing damage. For this reason, sports cards must always be kept either in a storage container that filters out sunlight or in an area with no sunlight.

In situations where cards are stored out of the light, they must still be stored properly to avoid long-term damage. Plastic sleeves, or penny sleeves, are the most inexpensive way to store each individual sports card. They aren’t as protective as toploaders, plastic holders, and plastic cases, but they are better than having nothing at all protecting the card. However, plastic sleeves are flexible, so they won’t prevent cards from getting bent like a rigid toploader or screw-down holder will.

These individually protected cards can subsequently be placed in a binder or storage box to add further protection. Binders are ideal for collectors seeking something that is easily accessible and allows them to show off their large collections on a regular basis. Meanwhile, storage boxes still make retrieval easy, but are often best for collectors who plan on showing only a few cards off every once in a while.

New Platforms to Entertain Audiences at the Movies

Former DEA supervising agent Brian Shanahan spent 20 years working with the US Department of Justice before retiring recently. Retired DEA agent Brian Shanahan enjoys going to the movies. For today’s movie enthusiasts, the platform from which movies are watched has shifted from solely the theater to other mediums.

In recent years, diversity in film has come to the forefront. Not only are people from all races represented in film and in a variety of roles, but this diversity lends itself to exposing audiences to films internationally. Much of the movement has been facilitated through the ubiquity of the online world, where anyone with a camera, creativity, and a great team of professionals can create interesting content.

One of the major shifts is the one that moves film making from a national platform to a more globalized one. Netflix and Amazon spent $ 20 billion on content with social media giant Facebook and Apple working on their own version of this platform. While this movement is primarily online, those who are die hard, old school filmmakers will find that the UK is becoming a hot spot for driving the industry.

Filmmakers are also moving toward a trend of making more emotional films to engage viewers. These films aim to establish an intimacy with the viewer and engage the viewer by employing a few tactics, for example allowing them to take ownership of the film by presenting multiple endings.

Finally, 2020 will see virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality become a part of the film making platform. In fact, this platform is expected to grow to close $30 billion this year. VR and augmented film making intensify the viewer experience by placing them in the story through auditory and visual-auditory cues.

The Battle with Methamphetamine Rages on in America’s Heartland

 Brian Shanahan is a retired supervisory special agent with the DEA who worked on a wide range of cases and was responsible for many national and international investigative accomplishments. During his tenure with the DEA, Brian Shanahan was chosen for an overseas position in the DEA’s Ankara, Turkey office where he established and maintained alliances with Turkish authorities in narcotics enforcement efforts. In the US, the DEA has been struggling to curtail the use and distribution of methamphetamine since its inception in 1980.

During what was considered the peak of methamphetamine use in the US, Agency personnel were seizing drug caches mainly in the one-to-five pound range. That was in 2005, and the meth problem was considered an imminent crisis.

In 2019, far from having slowed, the problem is well beyond what anyone could have predicted. Agents recently seized 250 pounds of meth in a single raid in Minnesota, as a meth resurgence is becoming more lethal by the day. Most indications are that the drugs are sourced from Mexico these days, rather than made in the US. While domestic production has been significantly reduced to the point of being rare, foreign drugs are keeping the illicit economy alive and they show no signs of slowing down.

The Pathway to Become a DEA Special Agent

Spoon of drugs Photo by Michael Longmire on Unsplash

Multi-awarded DEA supervisory special agent Brian Shanahan retired from the service in 2018 after serving the agency for more than 20 years. Throughout his career with the DEA, Brian Shanahan received numerous performance awards and commendations for his dedication to his profession. As a special agent, he has successfully infiltrated and dismantled over 30 drug organizations, arrested more than 275 individuals, and seized large volumes of illegal drugs and narcotics.

A DEA special agent belongs to an elite group of law enforcers tasked to fight the illegal drug trade. Special agents monitor drug trafficking and coordinate with other law enforcement agencies in building a cohesive and strong case that lead to prosecution and arrest of drug traffickers. DEA agents also collaborate with counterpart agencies in other countries to stop the flow of illegal drugs in and out of the country’s borders and to arrest international criminals.

To be selected as a DEA special agent, a candidate must have earned a bachelor’s degree in any field of study with a GPA of 2.95. Candidates with a degree in criminal justice are preferred, although not required. Those who have masters or Juris Doctor degrees have an advantage. Other areas of expertise that may be considered for a DEA special agent job include accounting, engineering, information systems, foreign language, and telecommunications. In these areas, no minimum GPA is required.

In addition to education, a candidate must be a US citizen between 21 and 36 years old. He or she must be in excellent physical condition, must be able to travel anywhere in the US, and must be able to carry and handle firearms. Physical requirements include excellent vision, no hearing loss, manual dexterity, and mental and emotional stability.

The rigorous hiring process takes up to 12 months or even more. The candidates go through qualifications review, written test, panel interview, drug test, medical exam, physical task assessment, polygraph test, psychological assessment, and background investigation before the final hiring decisions are made.