An Indian-American top White House lawyer Uttam Dhillon, has been appointed as the new head of crucial Drug Enforcement Agency that combats the smuggling and use of narcotics in the United States.
Dhillon substitutes Robert Patterson, who has retired after 30 years of service. Dhillon, who till recently worked in the White House as deputy counsel and deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, took up the role of Acting Director of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on Tuesday.
“With one American dying of a drug overdose every nine minutes, there can be no doubt that we are facing the deadliest drug epidemic in our history,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said announcing his appointment.
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According to Sessions, the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration is critical to fighting this crisis, and President Donald Trump and he are committed to continuing to give it the strong leadership it deserves.
Dhillon served with distinction in the White House, Department of Homeland Security, being a dedicated public servant. As a career federal prosecutor, he took drug traffickers at the highest levels.
In 2006, Dhillon was confirmed by the by the Senate as the first Director of the Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement at the DHS, having a long career battling drug traffickers and violent crime whereas Prior to DHS, in the Department of Justice, he served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General.
Recently, he has served as Deputy Counsel and Deputy Assistant to the President.
Dhillon received his law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, an MA from the University of California, San Diego, and a BA from California State University, Sacramento.
By Sowmya
