4. The Drug Enforcement Administration
Established in 1973, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is the pri-
mary federal agency responsible for the enforcement of federal laws concerning
the use, sale, and distribution of narcotics and other controlled substances in the
United States. Of the DEA’s over 9,200 staff members, -nearly half are special
agents. The agency is headquartered in New York; its agents are stationed
throughout the United States in 21 divisional offices and l4 strike forces in major
cities. Some agents are posted overseas.