According to the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy and the Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy’s join report published February 2013, the availability of heroin is increasing in Louisville and northern Kentucky. Another report dated the same time notes that heroin and opiate users were, at that time, occupying 70 percent of the beds at a Louisville drug rehabilitation treatment center. To illustrate the increase in heroin abuse, in 2008, Louisville law enforcement officials seized 104 grams of heroin, while in 2012, they seized over 7000 grams of heroin.
Officials with the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department say that heroin is overtaking prescription drugs as the number one drug problem in the city. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) works in Louisville with local law enforcement to try to stem the tide of heroin coming from Mexico.
Methamphetamine Labs in Louisville
Methamphetamine labs remain a large problem in the entire state of Kentucky and in Louisville specifically. Federal meth lab seizures statewide rose from one in 1995 to 170 by 2001. Louisville Metropolitan Police seize more than 100 methamphetamine labs in the Louisville area each year. However, they note, for every meth lab they seize, there are 10 meth labs in hiding. Many meth labs go up in flames, leaving no evidence that can be used to prosecute the criminals who were cooking meth there. The police in Louisville are attempting to educate the citizens of the city to recognize telltale signs of methamphetamine labs, including excessive items in someone’s trash like old batteries, plastic bottles, chemicals and lighter fluid, as well as strange fertilizer-like odors emanating from someone’s house. Methamphetamine is easy and cheap to produce, increasing its popularity not only in Louisville but also in rural areas of Kentucky.
How to Become a DEA Agent in Louisville
Before contacting a DEA special agent recruiter, applicants like are encouraged to verify that they meet all the requirements. Applicants must have a college degree (bachelor’s with a 2.95 GPA, master’s, J.D. LL.B. or a bachelor’s without a minimum GPA requirement plus substantial experience in foreign languages, accounting, engineering, or as a ship’s captain or airplane pilot). Applicants without a degree are considered only if they have a substantial work history that includes having investigated narcotics or drugs before or has military or other differentiated experience tailored to the position. Knowledge of a foreign language can also be an advantage when seeing Louisville DEA jobs and careers.
Louisville lies in the territory of the DEA’s Detroit Division. In fact, a District Office for the DEA’s Detroit Division is located in Louisville. Louisville DEA jobs are based out of this office. Christopher Taylor, the division’s Special Agent Recruiter, is able to field questions about DEA careers Louisville.