DEA adds 250 more task force officers to fight opioid crisis

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is deploying 250 additional task force officers and dozens more analysts across the U.S. in an effort to crackdown on the opioid epidemic.

The additional manpower will be in areas the epidemic has hit the hardest, the DEA announced this week.

A press release touts DEA task force officers as having “been some of the most essential and effective partners in building cases against drug trafficking organizations across the globe.”

“Positioning more robust resources such as task force officers in areas hardest hit by this epidemic will provide the strength and support needed to tackle this crisis in regions that need it most,” DEA acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson said in a press release.

A DEA spokesperson wrote in an email that where the officers and analysts will be positioned is still under consideration. The additional personnel resulted from a reallocation of resources and did not stem from new funding.

Last week, President Trump unveiled a three-pronged approach to combating the opioid epidemic: reducing the demand and over-prescription of opioids, cutting off the supply of illegal drugs and boosting access to treatment.