President-elect Donald Trump’s surprise pick for DEA director is Chad Chronister, a current sheriff with no federal law enforcement experience.
The Washington Post reported on the 30th that Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, Florida, has been nominated to head the DEA, saying, “He’s someone who’s barely gotten national attention.”
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has been with the county sheriff’s office for 32 years. In 2017, when the Hillsborough County Sheriff suddenly retired, Chronister was appointed as the successor at his recommendation. He was subsequently re-elected in 2018, 2020, and this year’s sheriff elections.
County sheriffs, who are autonomous police officers in the United States, are elected by residents or appointed by the governor, and are mainly responsible for crime prevention, prison management, and court security within the county.
Chronister’s nominee will move from the sheriff in charge of Hillsborough County’s security to the head of a large federal investigative agency with over 10,000 employees.
The DEA, an agency under the Department of Justice, was established in 1973 when the government declared an all-out war on drugs during the presidency of Richard Nixon. It is responsible for cracking down on and preventing the manufacture, distribution, and smuggling of various drugs, as well as money laundering related to drugs, terrorism, and organized crime, and has a budget of over $3 billion. However, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida is not small in scale.
According to the New York Times (NYT), the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s budget this year is $600 million, and the number of employees is about 3,500. The population of Hillsborough County, which is under its jurisdiction, exceeds 1.4 million (estimated in 2019).
After taking office, nominee Chronister is expected to focus on blocking the distribution of fentanyl, a drug mainly produced in Mexico using Chinese chemicals and cracking down on related organizations.
In announcing his nomination for DEA director on social media, President-border and said that nominee Chronister “will work with the great Attorney General (nominee) Pam Bondi to protect our borders, stop the distribution of fentanyl and other illegal drugs through our southern border, and save lives.”