Indian-origin Lawyer named as Acting Head of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) by US Prez Trump's Administration

July 4, 2018:

Uttam Dhillon, an Indian-origin Lawyer serving in White House, has been named the acting Administrator of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the agency that combats smuggling and use of narcotics in United States.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated that,“With one American dying of a drug overdose every nine minutes, there can be no doubt that we are facing the deadliest drug epidemic in our history”.

He further added that, “The work of the drug enforcement administration is critical to fighting this crisis, and President (Donald) Trump and I are committed to continuing to give it the strong leadership it deserves. That is why I am pleased to appoint Uttam Dhillon as acting administrator.”

As Deputy Counsel and Deputy Assistant to Trump, Uttam Dhillon had been a part of discussions that led to the firing of FBI Director James Comey in May 2017.

Dhillon has had a long career battling drug traffickers and violent crime, according to the justice department.

In 2006, he became the first Director of Office of Counter-Narcotics Enforcement at Department of Homeland Security.

Prior to that, he served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General in Justice Department, in which role he headed the Attorney General’s anti-gang coordination committee and led efforts to formulate policies and programs to combat violent crime and criminal gangs.

Uttam Dhillon earlier served as an Assistant US Attorney in California for more than six years.

Source HT