According to the Uniform Crime Reporting System of Pennsylvania, in 2012 a total of 9085 adults were arrested in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area for the sale, manufacturing and/or possession of drugs. These statistics indicate that the largest amount of arrests each month during 2012 was for the possession of marijuana, with possession of opium and cocaine a close second, and the manufacturing and sale of cocaine third. These numbers indicate that the drug problems in the city of Pittsburgh create serious challenges for anybody looking to become a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent in Pittsburgh. Those holding Pittsburgh DEA jobs and careers help to fight Pittsburgh’s drug problems such as these every day.
Notable Drug Busts in Pittsburgh
In March 2013, 34 residents of the Pittsburgh area were brought up on charges for violating narcotics and firearms laws as the DEA and FBI dismantled a major heroin ring. Much of the trafficking of heroin involved in this ring took place in the Homestead, PA area of Pittsburgh’s suburbs.
Another drug trafficking bust occurred in April 2013 in Hancock County, PA. During this bust, 19 individuals were charged with 94 counts of the distribution of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, marijuana and oxycodone. The persons charged in this bust were from the Hancock County towns of New Cumberland, Newell, East Liverpool, Wellsville, Colliers, Weiton, McKees Rocks, Georgetown and Aliquippa.
In March 2011, the FBI announced that 38 persons from the Pittsburgh area had been charged in three separate drug trafficking busts. Charges ranged from possession and intent to distribute heroin to the possession of firearms and narcotics.
Pittsburgh Area Anti-Drug Groups
With the massive amounts of drug use, trafficking and distribution in the Pittsburgh area, many community organizations have formed to combat the city’s growing drug problem. They include the Pittsburgh Police Department’s U-Can Program (United Citizens Against Narcotics), which is a group of Pittsburgh residents fighting drugs on their streets; the Reality Tour, hosted by the Norwin Lions Club and Candle, Inc. that provides lectures to school students from real people whose lives have been affected by drugs and alcohol; and Parents of Teenage Alcohol and Drug Abusers (POTADA), a support group for parents of teenage drug and alcohol abusers in the Pittsburgh area.
How to Become a DEA Agent in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is located within the DEA’s Philadelphia Division. A Resident Office exists in Pittsburgh. For those looking into how to become a DEA agent in Pittsburgh by meeting requirements, it is important to note that a college degree of some type is usually necessary. Which degree one possesses depends upon other specialized skills and experience. The exception to this rule is made for specialized experience in drug investigations – in which case the possession of a college degree is unnecessary. For more information on qualifications necessary before one can become a DEA agent in Pittsburgh through training, see this link.