DEA Now Authorized to Enforce Any Federal Crime Related to Death of George Floyd

Follow us on Twitter @HealthcareDef By Ronald Chapman, LL.M. @RonChapmanAtty According to a document released by Buzfeed, the DEA is now authorized to enforce a broader range of federal statutes in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd. If this is the case, it would be a shocking and unprecedented exercise of agency power, Timothy J. Shea, the newly appointed Acting Administrator of the DEA just gave the DEA the authority to investigate and make arrests for non drug offenses. The DEA's authority was previously limited to enforcing Federal crimes enumerated under Title 21 - the Controlled Substances Act. The Controlled Substances Act relates solely to drug offenses. This recent unprecedented action authorizes the DEA to investigate and arrest citizens who are alleged to have committed non drug offenses. Essentially, the DEA has been given the broadest possible authority in investigating, surveilling, and arresting protesters engaging in protests over the Death of George Floyd. This recent action was likely at the behest of President Trump who seeks to mobilize a broad range of federal power to "shut down" recent protests over the death of George Floyd. He made this point clear during a Monday June 1, 2020 call with Governors. Due to covert drug operations the DEA excels in its ability to preform undercover operations posing as traditional citizens. This is likely why Mr. Trump feels the DEA is valuable to his cause. Read the Shocking Two Page Memo