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| 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.
