23 days ago
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Three Drug Enforcement Administration officers were killed Monday when their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan during a narcotics mission.
The officers have been identified as Special Agent Forrest Leamon, 37, of Dale City, Va., Special Agent Chad L. Michael, 30, of Quantico, Va., and Special Agent Michael E. Weston, 37, of Washington, DC.
The DEA has confirmed that Special Agents Leamon and Michael were members of DEA's FAST (Foreign-deployed Advisory and Support Teams); and Special Agent Weston was assigned to DEA's Kabul Country Office.
Leamon is survived by his wife, Anna, who is four months pregnant. The couple had recently celebrated their one year wedding anniversary.
In addition to the DEA officers killed, seven other U.S. service members were also killed in the crash. The helicopter was returning from a firefight with suspected Taliban drug traffickers.
These three men mark the DEA's first deaths since it began operations there in 2005.
The DEA says it may surprise you just how large of a presence the DEA has in war zones and in particular that part of the world.
David Gaddis is the administration's chief enforcement of operations. He says the DEA spans the globe and is in more than 60 countries.
Gaddis says, "It's a high risk area, no doubt about it, our three fallen agents recognized, understood and accepted the risk associated with the work. They were volunteers, clearly heroic and pursuing the DEA mission."
Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium which is used to make heroin. The drug trade is a major source of funding for terrorist networks. And that's why the DEA has put its sites on Afghanistan.
Gaddis says, "The majority of terrorist organizations will turn to drug trafficking for funds."
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the crash but U.S. military officials say the crash is not believed to be a result of hostile fire.
