While Eagle Pass, Texas is a small town, it is a major drug trafficking corridor because of its location right on the Mexico border and the rural nature of the area. The Eagle Pass border crossing did not even have a fenced border between the two countries until a few years ago. On the other side of the Mexican border, across the Rio Grande, is the Mexican city of Piedras Negras, which is a major territory for the Mexican drug cartels that smuggle marijuana, cocaine, heroin and crystal meth into the United States.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a resident office located in Eagle Pass in order to curb drug trafficking along the major corridors outside the town, as well as to assist local authorities in drug investigations and arrests. The Eagle Pass DEA is under the jurisdiction of the larger division office, which is located in Houston. Along with conducting drug investigations and busts, the Eagle Pass DEA also is involved in community outreach activities, which include educating children and parent organizations about drug issues in the area and educating them on what to look for and when to contact officials about suspicious activity that could be tied to drug smuggling and selling in the town.
Eagle Pass DEA Activity
Most of the DEA activity in Eagle Pass involves assisting the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in apprehending and convicting suspects that attempt to smuggle drugs across the border station in the town. Occasionally, the Eagle Pass DEA will also conduct drug ring busts in and around the town.
- October 2012: More than $500,000 worth of cocaine and heroin was found during a routine border stop in Eagle Pass. DEA officials confirmed that the woman, from Hondo, Texas, was connected with a Mexican drug cartel and was planning on distributing the drugs throughout the Southern portion of the state.
- June 2010: Increased DEA presence at the border station in Eagle Pass lead to a series of drug busts, including a person who crossed the Rio Grande on foot with duffle bags containing more than $199,000 in marijuana.
DEA Jobs in Eagle Pass, Texas
When considering how to become an agent with the DEA in Eagle Pass, there are a series of steps one must complete. The first step involves meeting the basic requirements for the position, as well as completing a series of interviews, examinations, tests and training. Applicants have multiple positions to choose from with the DEA depending on their prior experience and education.
DEA careers in Eagle Pass include the following:
- Special Agent
- Intelligence Research Specialist
- Diversion Investigator
- Forensic Scientist
- Administration