Over the last five years, several agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency have failed drug tests but received very light punishments and reprimands.
New documents revealed that there have been at least 16 reported instance of agents and employees failing drug tests since 2010. Many cases were handled administratively, and very few ended with retirement or resignation. However, not one single agent or employee was fired.
According to the DEA’s hiring policy, any applicant who “experimented with or used narcotics or dangerous drugs, except those medically prescribed for you, will not be considered for employment.” The agency will make an exception in the case of “limited youthful and experimental use of marijuana.”
Employee misbehavior isn’t exclusive to simply failing drug tests, employees were also caught distributing drugs, falsifying reports, driving under the influence, stealing firearms, stealing evidence, and having “improper associations with a criminal element.” Even still, these employees avoided getting fired from their jobs. Former DEA official Carl Pike explained that it’s very rare for employees to get fired for misconduct.
“If we conducted an investigation, and an employee actually got terminated, I was surprised,” said Pike. “I was truly, truly surprised. Like, wow, the system actually got this guy.”
The DEA has a history of misbehavior. Earlier this year, it was discovered that agents abroad attended sex parties funded and hosted by drug cartels. It’s time to end the drug war, and perhaps defund the DEA.
For more on this story, visit the Huffington Post “DEA Employees Fail Drug Tests, Shockingly Face No Serious Consequences.”
