Inside the World of Chemistry, Calculations, and Clandestine Labs

This is the eighth installment in a series of profiles featuring DEA special agents, diversion investigators, chemists, and more. Learn about the tough but fulfilling, fascinating, and vital work these DEA personnel do, as well as the many different ways to get involved in fighting drug misuse. For our eighth profile, we will be interviewing Senior Research Chemist Joe from the Special Operations Division.

What motivated you to join the DEA?

I began work in a small forensic lab in Fort Worth, Texas. While the work I was exposed to was interesting and diverse, I wanted to grow. A colleague shared an employment offer packet with the stylized lettering “DEA Forensic Chemist.” Upon reading it completely, I knew immediately that was a challenge I wanted. I asked friends around the law enforcement community about any details they might share and learned of a passionate and smart team. To this date, I still love the decision to pursue this career with DEA and I still believe it to be one of the most fulfilling opportunities available in forensics.

What does an average day as a senior research chemist look like for you?

An average day involves me providing chemistry support for drug investigations and intelligence. Chemistry support involves calculations, organic chemistry, assessing precursor viability, and analytical considerations at the lab. This ranges from phone calls, emails, meetings, and even responding to drug crime scenes, such as clandestine laboratories. Additionally, I keep current with the trends in drug manufacturing and smuggling, as well as the evolution of forensic chemistry technology through peer-reviewed scientific articles. As DEA’s mission is global, I do spend a considerable amount of time traveling both domestically and internationally to meet with or present to investigators and other forensic researchers.  

What has been your proudest moment as a senior research chemist thus far?

I’m quite proud of the collaborations that are ongoing with other research institutions. We carry a great many projects with universities and other federal laboratories, both domestic and foreign, that produce advancements in forensics, intelligence, as well as organic and analytical chemistry in peer-reviewed publications, posters, patents, and presentations. There’s a satisfaction that is gained from serving the public and a unique one to contribute to the body of science.

How can young people who wish to become a DEA senior research chemist best prepare themselves for the job?

There are prerequisites for the position of forensic chemists; however, the best preparation is mental. Be willing and eager to take on the most formidable, the most difficult, and the most ominous challenges in your professional career. It’s the culmination of your victories and lessons learned that make for an impactful career in public service. As a professional, learning is self-paced and requires discipline. Much can be learned, especially in Forensic Chemistry, by seeking these challenges directly.

The synthetic opioid fentanyl – often mixed into other drugs – is now responsible for tens of thousands of American deaths per year. How has the fentanyl epidemic changed your job?

The synthetic drug crisis owes its origin and duration to organic chemistry. The very same chemistry that can be altruistic is, in the wrong hands, for profit and peril. As such, DEA’s progressed to include more and more chemists in its day-to-day operations. This includes frequent input on policy, executive advisement, prosecution meetings, and certainly – public outreach. Given the very nature of the potency associated with novel synthetic opioids, forensic chemistry has had to adapt in many ways. Myself and my forensic chemist colleagues throughout the DEA lab system strive to provide the very best support and the most comprehensive analyses in support of investigations.

Operation Vape Trail Cracks Down on Illegal Substances in Vape Shops

WASHINGTON – Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced the results of a week-long operational enforcement action as part of a whole-of-government initiative aimed at removing dangerous and illegal vaping substances from communities across America. During the operation, DEA seized more than 2.3 million vape devices and cartridges and more than 100 weapons since September 15, 2025.

“This operation underscores our commitment to protecting Americans from dangerous, deadly, and illegal substances that threaten public safety and national security,” said Administrator Terrance Cole. “Illegal vape products pose hidden risks—especially to young people who often have no idea what these chemicals are that they are inhaling. By removing these products from our communities, we are taking decisive action to safeguard health, disrupt criminal networks, and prevent harm before it occurs.”   

Vaping devices were originally designed for nicotine and marketed as a cigarette alternative. However, recent data suggests a significant portion of e-cigarette sales involve illegal substances, highlighting a growing public safety and health concern. Also being sold in vape shops are illegal and addictive substances such as synthetic marijuana, synthetic cathinones, and hydroxymitragynine, also known as 7-OH or synthetic kratom. Many of these products feature bright packaging and imagery inspired by popular cereals, candies, and snacks, which appeal to young people.

From September 15 through September 19, 2025, DEA’s 23 domestic field divisions and seven foreign regions carried out coordinated enforcement actions that resulted in:

•            Vape Pens/Cartridges: 2,357,755

•            Currency Seizures: $3,502,905

•            Assets seized: $5,235,000

•            Firearms: 115

•            Arrests: 106

Notable Seizures:

•            The DEA Laredo District Office, with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department, executed a search warrant inside one shop in which investigators uncovered a 25-foot-deep tunnel leading to what appeared to be a concealed room behind the business—highlighting the extreme measures taken to hide illegal operations. Cocaine and marijuana were also seized during the search.

•            The DEA Galveston Resident Office, in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Service and Harris County Constables Office Precinct 2, seized 70,000 THC cartridges, 30,000 packages of THC edibles, 15 pounds of marijuana, and eleven firearms inside a home.

•            Upon receiving multiple complaints about vape shops selling to minors, DEA’s Little Rock District Office seized nearly 200 pounds of marijuana and more than 50 firearms in two separate investigations. Two people were arrested.

•            The DEA Albany District Office seized hundreds of pounds of colorfully packaged products including marijuana flower, marijuana cigarettes, packaged THC gummies, flavored THC vape cartridges, and mushroom gummies, arrested two illegal criminals, and seized $50,000.

In addition to last week’s nationwide surge, DEA has been investigating vape shops near military bases. The majority of these shops investigated by DEA are owned and operated by foreign nationals believed to be specifically targeting active military personnel. As a result of one joint operation, DEA and its partners seized 8,000 pounds of THC products, 70,000 marijuana plants, and nearly 21,500 pounds of processed marijuana, and arrested 20 people, including three Chinese nationals.

DEA has vaping-related resources available at www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov.

Operation Vape Trail is part of a larger collaborative enforcement effort between the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Working With His Wife to Dismantle Drug-Peddling Prison Gang

What motivated you to join the DEA?

I started out in law enforcement at the local level which was a step towards my desire to serve my community and make a difference. It was while I was working as a Narcotics Detective for the Scottsdale Police Department that I received an assignment to work in the Phoenix DEA office as a Task Force Officer (TFO) that an entire world of opportunity opened up to me. Making drug cases at the local level and getting to arrest those peddling poison to people in the community was rewarding, but getting the opportunity through DEA to take investigations all the way up to the major distributors, both in the United States and abroad was a game changer. I knew at that moment that through a career at DEA, I could go beyond helping the local community and have the ability to work investigations that could have an impact across the United States.

What does an average day as a Special Agent look like for you?

Several years back, I chose to move into a supervisory position in DEA in order to mentor and lead the next generation of DEA agents. As part of our career progression and preparation for higher leadership, we are required to complete a tour at DEA Headquarters. I am currently assigned as an Executive Assistant (EA) to the DEA Chief of Operations. The Chief of Operations oversees DEA enforcement actions and investigations throughout the United States and all across the world. My average day as an EA involves providing the Chief of Operations situational awareness on important issues that might rise to the level of the DEA Administrator and to help answer taskings that come down from the Administrator or outside DEA, such as from the Department of Justice, Congress, and the White House.  I also assist the Chief of Operations with making sure that DEA Headquarters is responsive to the needs of the agents in the field doing the hard, day-to-day work.

What has been your proudest moment as a Special Agent thus far?

My wife is a Special Agent with the FBI and my proudest moment as a Special Agent was getting the opportunity to work with my wife and the FBI in a joint DEA/FBI investigation that dismantled a violent white supremacist prison gang that was involved in distributing methamphetamine and firearms. The investigation was one of many in my career that showed that close cooperation and support with our fellow law enforcement partners at the local, state, and federal level can lead to dramatic results.

How can young people who wish to become a Special Agent best prepare themselves for the job?

As a Special Agent, we take an oath to defend the Constitution and uphold the nation’s laws. This means that for those interested in becoming a Special Agent, even before you take the oath of office, your life and your integrity have to be at the highest standards. Also, the job of a DEA Special Agent is one where you will be tested on a daily basis to go above and beyond – so seek out challenges for yourself, whether that be through academics, sports, or giving back to your community. The more you push and challenge yourself, the better equipped you will be to take on the responsibility of a DEA Special Agent.

The synthetic opioid fentanyl – often mixed into other drugs – is now responsible for tens of thousands of American deaths per year. How has the fentanyl epidemic changed your job?

The fentanyl epidemic has drastically changed the job of a DEA agent by increasing the urgency of our investigations. When we investigate drug organizations, we are always concerned about mitigating risks to the public, such as when we develop information that a drug target is going to commit a violent crime. In these situations, we act immediately and in coordination with our law enforcement partners to attempt to prevent violent crime. With the lethality of fentanyl, we now must be aware of potential risks to the public for the time it takes to conduct a thorough investigation. The goal of DEA investigations is to collect the evidence which leads to convictions and ultimately incarceration for those peddling poison, but sometimes we must weigh the risks posed by even a small amount of fentanyl reaching the streets of our communities and take action.   

DEA Announces 10th National Prescription Drug Take-Back

DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg today announced that the 10th National Prescription Drug Take-Back will take place September 26th from 10 am-2 pm local time. As with the previous nine Take-Back events, sites will be set up throughout communities nationwide so local residents can return their unwanted, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs for safe disposal.

Collection sites in every local community can be found by going to www.dea.gov . This site will be continuously updated with new take-back locations.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that many abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards.

“Prescription drug abuse is a huge problem and this is a great opportunity for folks around the country to help reduce the threat,” Rosenberg said.  "Please clean out your medicine cabinet and make your home safe from drug theft and abuse.”

In the previous nine Take-Back events nationwide from 2010-2014, 4,823,251 pounds, or 2,411 tons of unwanted medication were collected.