Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Michael Keuler

Can the Drug Epidemic be Stopped?

Michael Keuler grew up in southern New Jersey and witnessed drugs take the life of his childhood friend. This solidified his career goal to become a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. Shortly after graduating from the University of Delaware, with a degree in criminal justice, he gained law enforcement experience as a Highway Patrol Officer with the Delaware River and Bay Authority.

In 2002, Mike was hired by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Special Agent. Upon completion of the DEA Academy in Quantico, Virginia, Mike was transferred to the DEA Los Angeles Division in 2003 as his first duty station. As a Special Agent, Mike specialized in investigating international drug trafficking organizations through the use of wiretaps. In 2007, encrypted communications became the primary mode of communication between drug traffickers, therefore making wiretaps unusable. When presented with this challenge, Mike developed ways to exploit the encryption, which allowed law enforcement to intercept and decrypt the communications. This tool is still used worldwide by law enforcement today. In 2016, Mike was transferred to Headquarters where he was assigned as an inspector for the Office of Professional Responsibility. Shortly thereafter, in 2018, Mike was promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the Los Angeles Division and currently oversees the DEA’s Orange County District Office.

Please join us to hear Special Agent Michael Keuler’s three-pronged approach of law enforcement to fight the drug epidemic in the United States.