Date: January 24, 2012
Contact: Lisa A. Webb Johnson
Public Information Officer Contact: Lisa A. Webb Johnson,
Number: 713-693-3000
Special Agent in Charge Javier F. Pea Reports to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Houston Division
HOUSTON  - Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Javier Pea began his tour at the Houston Division on November 20, 2011. With this new appointment, SAC Pe  a now oversees all Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) operations for the Houston Division area of responsibility, which includes South and East Texas, encompassing 645 miles of the Texas/Mexico border, as well as 350 miles of the Gulf of Mexico coastline.
Prior to SAC Pea's arrival in Houston, he was appointed to DEA's Senior Executive Service as the Special Agent in Charge of the San Francisco Division in 2004, where he was responsible for all DEA operations in Northern California, from Bakersfield in the South to the border with Oregon in the North. In August 2008, SAC Pea was designated as the Special Agent in Charge of the Caribbean Division by then DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart.
SAC Pea began his career in law enforcement with the Webb County Sheriff's Office in 1977 as a Deputy Sheriff and later went on to join the DEA as a Special Agent assigned to the Austin Resident Office in 1984.
In 1988, SAC Pea volunteered for an assignment at the DEA office in Bogota, Colombia, and became the co-case agent in the investigation targeting Medellin Cartel leader Pablo Escobar. While living and working in Colombia until 1994, SAC Pea was the main liaison between the DEA and the Anti-Narcotics Police in Medellin, Colombia.
In 1994, SAC Pea was promoted to the position of Group Supervisor and transferred to the San Juan, Puerto Rico DEA Office, where he supervised a number of DEA Special Agents and deputized Task Force Officers who were involved in complex investigations targeting local drug organizations. SAC Pea served in this capacity until his transfer to the Special Operations Division in 1997, where his duties included the oversight and coordination of sensitive, multi-jurisdictional investigations.
In 1999, SAC Pea was promoted once more and returned to Colombia as the Assistant Country Attach of the DEA Bogota Country Office, where he was responsible for the day to day management of all criminal investigations being conducted by the DEA in Colombia. In 2001, SAC Pea ended his second tour of duty in Colombia and was selected as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the San Antonio District Office, where he oversaw DEA operations in San Antonio, Austin and Waco, Texas.
Mr. Pea is a South Texas native and graduated from Texas A&I University with a B.A. in Sociology/Psychology in 1984.