James L. Collins
James L. Collins was appointed as the Chief of Intelligence for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Intelligence Division in February 2026.
Prior to this assignment, Mr. Collins served as Assistant Commissioner for the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of International Affairs (INA). In this assignment he was responsible for coordinating CBP’s multi-lateral initiatives with international partners, providing capacity building training to foreign counterparts in coordination with CBP’s operational offices, and leading CBP efforts to achieve international agreements and joint efforts that both facilitate and secure legitimate trade and travel.
Mr. Collins was the Strategic Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, at the U.S. Department of State. In this role, he provided policy and programmatic advice related to combating fentanyl; interagency coordination; and programmatic initiatives to counter illicit trafficking, emerging transnational threats, and border security.
Mr. Collins has extensive operational-level Counter Terrorism, Counter Narcotics, Counter Insurgency, Counter Threat Finance, and Counter Transnational Organized Crime experience, including 26 years of service in the U.S. Army as a Military Intelligence and Foreign Area Officer. He holds a Master of Strategic Intelligence degree from the National Intelligence University, is a graduate of the National War College, and received an undergraduate degree from the Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.