How to Become a DEA Agent in New Mexico by Meeting Requirements

In New Mexico, the value of DEA careers to the safety of the state’s residents is particularly apparent when viewing the recent headlines to come out of this area. For example, on December 14, 2012, a federal grand jury indicted seven members of a large prescription drug trafficking ring in Las Cruces. The indictment reported that, between 2011 and 2012, these individuals possessed and conspired to distribute both oxycodone and Adderall in Dona Ana County.

On August 9, 2012, 25 individuals were charged with federal narcotics trafficking offenses due to a DEA-led investigation in San Miguel County.  Along with the DEA, additional state, local, and federal law enforcement officers executed searches warrants at residences in both Las Vegas and Albuquerque, where $29,000 and a kilogram of cocaine were seized. This investigation targeted the distribution of crack cocaine and heroin in area.

Studying New Mexico’s Illegal Drug Trade

The trafficking of illegal and prescription drugs is particularly challenging for the DEA in New Mexico, due to the 180-mile-long border this state shares with Mexico. Further, it is expected that a significant number of illegal drug traffickers manage to import their drugs into the U.S. via the three international ports of entry. Much of the drug activity throughout New Mexico travels along the state’s three, major corridors: Interstate 10, Interstate 40, and Intestate 25.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, New Mexico ranked as one of the top states for rates of drug use in 2009-2010, in several categories, including: illicit drug use among those aged 12-17; non-medical use of pain relievers among those aged 12-17; and illicit drug dependence among those aged 12-17.

Further, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the drug-induced death rate in New Mexico was higher than the national average in 2009, with Rio Arriba County in New Mexico ranking third highest in the nation for drug poisoning deaths, with 57.4 deaths per 100,000 people. In 2009 alone, 447 persons died from drug use in New Mexico, which is more than motor vehicle accidents (354).

How to Become a DEA Agent in Mexico through Training

Individuals who want to learn how to become a DEA agent in Mexico should be advised that all applicants for DEA jobs must meet certain conditions of employment. In particular, candidates for New Mexico DEA careers must be college educated, hold U.S. citizenship, they must pass a DEA-administered drug test, they must pass a thorough background investigation, and they must be registered with the Selective Service system (if they are male and born after 1959).

The Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) presence in New Mexico is strong, thanks to the El Paso Division office (915-832-6000), which oversees New Mexico, as well as the northwestern part of Texas. The DEA also operates out of the regional offices of Albuquerque (505-452-4500) and Las Cruces (575-526-0700).

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