If confirmed, Chronister will work with the Justice Department and incoming U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to tackle the fentanyl crisis.
President-elect Donald Trump nominated Chad Chronister, sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida, as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“As DEA administrator, Chad will work with our great attorney general, Pam Bondi, to secure the border, stop the flow of fentanyl, and other illegal drugs, across the southern border, and save lives,” Trump wrote in a Nov. 30 post on Truth Social.
Chronister became Hillsborough County’s top law enforcement officer in September 2017. He was appointed to the post by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), then elected twice afterward. Chronister has helped reduce crime in the region, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff wrote on social media platform X that the nomination is “the honor of a lifetime.”
“I am deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve our nation,” Chronister said.
A graduate of the FBI National Academy, Chronister holds several key positions, including co-chairman of the Regional Domestic Security Task Force for Region IV Tampa Bay, chairman of the Criminal Justice Sub-Committee, and council member of the Florida Attorney General’s Statewide Council on Human Trafficking.
Scott called Chronister an “incredible pick” to head the DEA.
“When I appointed Chad as Hillsborough County Sheriff in 2017, he had already spent more than 20 years in law enforcement fighting every day to protect Florida families,” the senator said in a Nov. 30 X post.
“His work over the last 7 years shows Chad’s dedication to cracking down on crime, fighting the fentanyl crisis, and showing up every day to keep Floridians safe.”
Chronister is married and has two sons.Under his tenure as Hillsborough County’s sheriff, the office has apprehended several criminals with ties to the fentanyl trade.
In July, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office charged three people for selling the drug. One of them was an inmate who was using his girlfriend to facilitate the sales. In April, a six-time felon was arrested for trafficking fentanyl.
Fentanyl is “one of the deadliest drugs on the market, and those who choose to distribute it will be held accountable,” Chronister said at the time.
If confirmed as DEA head, Chronister will work with the Department of Justice and Bondi to tackle drug trafficking.
When announcing Bondi’s nomination as attorney general, the former president praised her work, noting that she has been a prosecutor for almost two decades, during which she was “very tough on violent criminals.”
“Then, as Florida’s first female attorney general, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of fentanyl overdose deaths, which have destroyed many families across our country,” Trump said.
Chronister welcomed Bondi’s nomination in a Nov. 23 post on X, calling her a “selfless servant who will be tireless in keeping us all safe.”
The nominations of Chronister and Bondi were announced as the president-elect is preparing to address the fentanyl crisis.
The former president recently said he plans to carry out a “large-scale United States advertising campaign” to explain publicly the dangers posed by the drug.
According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl was responsible for almost 75,000 deaths in the country in 2023.
Trump also said he plans to impose more tariffs on Chinese imports until Beijing takes strict action against fentanyl flows from China. The country is the main source of fentanyl coming into the United States.
“Representatives of China told me that they would institute their maximum penalty, that of death, for any drug dealers caught doing this but, unfortunately, they never followed through, and drugs are pouring into our country, mostly through Mexico, at levels never seen before,” he said.