How to Become a DEA Agent in New York City, New York by Meeting Requirements

New York City is a powerhouse in every sense of the word, as it is where commerce, international business, fashion, research, and high technology merge. With more than 21 million residents and another 50 million visiting each year, this city has become a leading destination for drug traffickers and distributors.

DEA agent jobs in New York are particularly challenging thanks to the city’s prime location in the northeastern part of the country, its proximity to the major cities of Washington, D.C. and Boston, its three international airports, and its direct access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River. With the help of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the DEA works to curtail drug trafficking and distribution throughout the city.

How to Become a DEA Agent in New York City

Individuals who want to learn how to become a DEA agent in New York City by meeting the agency’s stringent requirements must understand that the employment process is a thorough one, as candidates are required to take and pass a number of rigorous tests, including a DEA drug test, a background investigation, a polygraph examination, and a psychological evaluation, among others.

Further, all candidates for DEA jobs in New York City must possess either extensive experience in undercover, surveillance, or drug-related work, or a post-secondary education. Most individuals seeking New York City DEA careers possess a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, LLB degree, or JD degree.

Individuals may qualify for DEA jobs without prior experience, although they must possess, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree with a 2.9 GPA. Individuals with a bachelor’s degree and at least three years of specialized knowledge in a number of key areas, such as engineering, foreign languages, telecommunications, accounting, or pilot/maritime, may qualify without satisfying the GPA requirement.

DEA Requirements in New York City

For more information on DEA requirements and New York City DEA careers, individuals may contact the New York City Division office at 212-337-3900 or visit the DEA website.

New York City DEA Careers: A Look into the City’s Drug Crimes

Individuals with aspirations of landing a DEA job in New York City can begin to understand the challenges faced by the men and women of the New York City DEA by looking at recent headlines:

  • April 2013: A Dominic Republic military official was extradited from the Dominic Republic to New York City on charges related to distributing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
  • April 2013: An NYPD officer was indicted for narcotics trafficking and armed robbery.
  • March 2013: Forty-nine employees of Gramercy Medical Center were charged with trafficking more than $10 million in oxycodone to New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. It is reported that this scheme involved more than 500,000 narcotics pills being introduced into the black market at a value of around $10 million.
  • January 2013: A Bronx armed robbery organization of at least 16 members was charged with narcotics conspiracy, firearms offenses, and robbery conspiracy. This investigation was carried out by the DEA and the NYPD.
  • January 2013: An international narcotics trafficker was sentenced to 280 months in prison for conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine into the United States from such destinations as Mexico, the Dominic Republic, and Venezuela.
  • January 2013: A Manhattan doctor was arrested and charged with selling painkiller prescriptions (oxycodone) to a drug trafficking organization.

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