By Steve Neavling
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated Terry Cole to lead the DEA, elevating a longtime agency veteran with more than two decades of experience at the DEA and a current role as Virginia’s top public safety official, The Washington Post reports.
If confirmed by the Senate, Cole would oversee the DEA’s efforts to combat drug trafficking and the ongoing fentanyl crisis. He would replace Derek Maltz, a 28-year DEA veteran who has served as acting administrator since Trump’s inauguration.
In a Truth Social post, Trump called Cole a “veteran” of the DEA, highlighting his service in Colombia, Afghanistan, and Mexico City. Cole currently serves as Virginia’s secretary of public safety and homeland security. According to his official biography, he spent 22 years at the DEA, holding leadership roles such as chief of staff and executive officer for the agency’s global operations. He retired in 2020 as acting regional director for Mexico, Canada, and Central America.
If confirmed, Cole would lead an agency of 10,000 personnel working to disrupt international drug trafficking operations. The DEA’s work remains critical as fentanyl, largely produced in clandestine Mexican labs using chemicals from China, continues to fuel a deadly drug crisis. Trump has vowed to impose tariffs on both countries if they don’t take stronger action to curb the flow of drugs.
Cole’s nomination comes two months after Trump’s first pick for the role, Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister, withdrew under pressure from conservative critics. Chronister, a former Democrat and sheriff of Hillsborough County since 2017, faced backlash over his arrest of a Tampa megachurch pastor for violating coronavirus crowd restrictions in 2020.
The next DEA administrator will also face decisions on marijuana policy, as the Biden Justice Department is proposing to loosen federal restrictions, a move previously supported by Trump, despite objections from some Republican leaders.
