Because of the city’s isolated location, Boise DEA agents face the challenge of discovering drug manufacturing and growing operations located in remote areas of the state, at the same time as they face the usual fight against illegal drugs encountered by law enforcement agencies in most cities. Boise is also not immune to drug trafficking routes that wind their way up from Mexico to the City of Trees.
Becoming a DEA agent in Boise involves the completion of a thorough application and screening process, and months of vigorous training once selected.
Requirements to Apply for DEA Jobs and Careers
Those wanting to become potential agents must meet certain qualifications set forth by the DEA. These include meeting at least one of the following three conditions:
- Previous law/drug enforcement experience:
- Apprehension and arrest of suspects
- Surveillance and undercover operations
- The gathering and organization of evidence for court presentation
- Either a B.A. with at least a 2.95 GPA, an M.A., an LL.B., or a J.D.
- A B.A. with at least three years of experience and relevant coursework in a strategic area:
- Foreign Languages
- Information Technology/Systems
- Accounting
- Auditing
- Pilot’s license or maritime captain
- Military
- Engineering
Idaho has four public universities and three private institutions offering degrees in fields identified as strategic by the DEA. There are also a number of online colleges in the state offering degrees in similar subjects. A successful application process to join the respected ranks of the DEA in Boise can begin when one meets the minimum education or experience requirements.
Recent DEA Activity in Boise
As a result of a joint investigation conducted by agents from the DEA’s Boise Resident Office, the Ada County Sheriff’s Department, and the Boise Police Department, five suspects were arrested on charges related to the distribution of methamphetamine. Agents discovered 12 pounds of the drug after searching a residence and two vehicles, which they tied to the suspects. A U.S. attorney affiliated with the case said that in 2011 her office saw 111 people sentenced on charges related to the distribution of meth.
Four men were arrested after the delivery of six pounds of marijuana to an undercover DEA agent in Boise. Information obtained from three of the men led to the arrest of another accomplice and additional amounts of marijuana, totaling over 110 pounds and worth an estimated $300,000. Agents believe the marijuana was originally grown in rural areas of Idaho and then transported to the capital city.
Undercover Boise DEA agents working in cooperation with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office infiltrated an international drug ring in 2007, tapping the phones of its members in an investigation that quickly grew and became known as Operation Cutthroat. Over the course of the investigation agents discovered the workings of the smuggling operation that would see methamphetamine and cocaine obtained from Mexico be trafficked up through the country into Idaho, while payments for the drugs were smuggled back into Mexico in hidden vehicle compartments.