Frank A. Tarentino III
Mr. Frank A. Tarentino III serves as the Associate Chief of Operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Northeast Region, which encompasses the States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia.
Mr. Tarentino is a twenty-seven-year veteran of the Drug Enforcement Administration and has served in a wide range of assignments including foreign operations, multi-agency international investigations, and local impact initiatives in domestic offices. His experience has led to a leadership philosophy centered on dismantling drug trafficking organizations at every level through trust, transparency, and strong partnerships with law enforcement agencies at the local, state, federal, and international levels.
Mr. Tarentino joined the Drug Enforcement Administration in 1998 after serving as an officer in the United States Army. As an Airborne Ranger Infantry Officer, he achieved the rank of Captain and was assigned to the 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, United States Army Special Operations Command. Following his military service, he spent seven years as a Special Agent assigned to the DEA New York Division Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is the oldest and largest drug task force in the nation.
In 2005, Mr. Tarentino was selected to serve on the Foreign-deployed Advisory and Support Team (FAST) based in Quantico, Virginia. While in FAST, Mr. Tarentino deployed to Afghanistan six times for a total of two years in country and was promoted to Team Leader/Group Supervisor in 2007. As a FAST Team Leader, he supervised his Team during complex, dangerous, and high priority investigations that advanced the strategic objectives for Afghanistan. On his final deployment, he led his Team through several high-level enforcement operations that required coordination with U.S. Special Operation Forces, USMIL and ISAF. These missions demanded the development of intricate operational plans, constant oversight, and steady leadership in some of the most challenging environments in southern Afghanistan, a region recognized as a stronghold for the Taliban and a central hub for insurgent command and control. As a result of his dedication, supervision, and effectiveness in the field, Mr. Tarentino coordinated and executed more than fifty counter narcotics and counter terrorism operations in an active war zone, achieving significant outcomes that included the arrest of high value targets and the disruption and dismantlement of major drug trafficking networks. Under Mr. Tarentino’s leadership, his team helped forge and strengthen the DEA’s partnership with Afghan police and military units.
In 2010, upon completion of his assignment to FAST, he returned to the United States and was assigned to the New Jersey Division as a Group Supervisor. He led investigations into local and international drug trafficking organizations including Mexican based criminal groups, money laundering networks, and drug distribution operations linked to overdose deaths.
In 2015, Mr. Tarentino was promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge, where he oversaw one hundred sixty enforcement and administrative personnel across thirteen groups dedicated to dismantling drug trafficking organizations throughout New Jersey and overseas.
Mr. Tarentino was promoted to Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle Division in 2020, where he directed operations in 18 offices across four states. During his leadership of the Seattle Division, he integrated data driven intelligence programs into enforcement strategies to combat rising overdose rates and drug related violence. He also strengthened collaboration among federal, state, and local health, community, and law enforcement organizations to expand prevention and education initiatives focused on saving lives.
In March 2022, Mr. Tarentino was selected to lead the New York Division, the largest division within the Drug Enforcement Administration. During his tenure, he created, formed, and successfully implemented the Trident Directorate, a set of four joint operational teams that integrates law enforcement, military, and intelligence partners to target global networks responsible for harming Americans. This initiative represents an unprecedented model of unified command, synchronized worldwide operations, and decentralized decision making. In addition, Mr. Tarentino strengthened the nation’s oldest interagency drug enforcement partnership, the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, by increasing the number of task force groups from 12 to 20, significantly enhancing coordination and operational effectiveness. He also established the Overdose Task Force Group, a specialized team dedicated to identifying individuals responsible for causing overdose deaths and poisonings. Additionally, he led a community awareness and outreach campaign to educate the public on the dangers of illicit fentanyl and other harmful drugs, further advancing DEA’s mission to save lives.
Following his success in leading the New York Division, Mr. Tarentino was appointed by DEA Administrator Terrance Cole in November 2025 to serve as the Associate Chief of Operations for the Northeast Region. His appointment supports the DEA’s new regional operations management framework, an initiative designed to strengthen unity of command, improve resource alignment, and enhance coordination across geographic boundaries in response to increasingly complex and interconnected threats. In this capacity, Mr. Tarentino oversees Region 1, which includes six divisions: New England Division, New York Enforcement Division, New York Task Force Division, New Jersey Division, Philadelphia Division, and the Washington DC Division Office. He directs strategic operational priorities throughout one of the nation’s most densely populated, complex and high impact regions.
Mr. Tarentino graduated in 1993 from Norwich University in Vermont, the oldest private Military College in the country, with a degree in Criminal Justice.