EL PASO – On Monday Feb. 26 beginning at midnight, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Division will be accepting applications for Special Agents to work in one of five local offices: El Paso, Midland, or Alpine, Texas or Las Cruces, Roswell, or Albuquerque, New Mexico. Upon completion of a 16 to 20-week basic agent training (BAT) course in Quantico, Virginia, the hired applicants will return to the local office they chose on their application. Interested candidates should apply on www.usajobs.gov . The posting will close on March 11 at midnight, or when 100 applications have been received, whichever comes first.

“This is a unique opportunity for local candidates who want to remain here,” said Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “Those who may have been interested in becoming Special Agents but could not move to another part of the country may now be very interested in applying.”

The minimum qualifications needed to apply for the GS-1811 Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) position are:

U. S. Citizenship required.Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance.Possess and maintain a valid state driver’s license.Must be at least 21 years of age and not older than 36 at the time of appointment, unless you are a preference eligible veteran.Must be in excellent physical condition.Must be willing and able to carry and handle a firearm.

In addition, applicants can also qualify based on education (minimum 3.0 GPA) and/or investigative experience, or a combination of both.