Undercover Operation Protocols Flashcards
7 cards from real DEA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Undercover Operation Protocols flashcards as text
Which level of DEA approval is required before an undercover agent may establish a 'front business' as part of a long-term drug trafficking investigation?
Answer: DEA Headquarters approval with DOJ Criminal Division concurrence
Establishing a front business is a sensitive undercover technique requiring DEA Headquarters approval and DOJ Criminal Division concurrence.
What is the primary risk that 'dry-cleaning' surveillance routes address in undercover operations?
Answer: Detecting and losing surveillance by target organization counter-surveillance teams
Dry-cleaning routes involve evasive driving and route changes to detect whether the undercover agent is being surveilled by the target organization's counter-surveillance.
Under DEA operational guidelines, which condition triggers mandatory termination of an undercover operation regardless of its investigative value?
Answer: Credible intelligence indicates the undercover agent faces imminent physical harm
Imminent credible threat to an undercover agent's physical safety is an absolute mandatory termination trigger, overriding investigative value.
What role does a 'ghost' agent play in an undercover buy operation?
Answer: A covert surveillance agent positioned to observe and provide emergency support to the undercover agent
A ghost agent is a covert surveillance officer who maintains observation of the undercover agent during a buy operation to provide emergency backup if needed.
When a DEA undercover operation produces evidence of terrorism or weapons of mass destruction, what is the immediate notification requirement?
Answer: Immediately notify the FBI and DOJ National Security Division per inter-agency protocols
Discovery of terrorism or WMD evidence triggers mandatory immediate notification to the FBI and DOJ National Security Division under inter-agency information-sharing protocols.
Which of the following best describes a 'controlled delivery' operation in DEA undercover practice?
Answer: DEA allows an intercepted drug shipment to proceed to its destination under surveillance to identify the full distribution network
A controlled delivery allows an intercepted drug shipment to continue to its destination under law enforcement surveillance to identify additional members of the trafficking network.
An undercover DEA agent is asked by a target to provide a sample of methamphetamine to prove the agent is a legitimate supplier. What is the proper response under DEA policy?
Answer: Decline to provide a sample and consider this a red flag requiring supervisor notification
DEA agents may not distribute controlled substances to prove their identity; this request is a red flag and requires supervisor notification to assess whether to continue the operation.