United States Drug Enforcement Administration

LOS ANGELES – Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrance C. Cole has appointed DEA San Diego Field Division Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark as the new Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Los Angeles Field Division. 

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Clark brings with him a wealth of operational, legal, and executive leadership experience built over the course of a distinguished 17-year DEA career and prior military service. His return to Los Angeles marks a homecoming to the division where he began his DEA journey and where he has repeatedly delivered results in high-threat environments.

The Los Angeles Field Division stands as the DEA’s most complex and high-impact divisions, covering Southern California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the U.S. Territories of Guam and Saipan.

New Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Los Angeles Field Division, Brian Clark, said, “I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the men and women of the DEA Los Angeles Field Division during such a pivotal time for our country. The Los Angeles corridor stands at the epicenter for drug trafficking. Global drug networks continue to capitalize on L.A.’s geography, dynamic economy, and vulnerabilities. We stand committed to aggressively combat the synthetic drug crisis, working alongside our law enforcement partners to target cartels, violent criminals, and those trafficking dangerous drugs into our communities.”

Most recently, Clark served as SAC of the San Diego Field Division, overseeing enforcement operations and regulatory programs along one of the nation’s most strategically critical sections of the Southwest border. In that role, he prioritized investigations targeting violent criminals and cartel-affiliated networks responsible for the production and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine into our communities.

Clark previously served as SAC of the San Francisco Field Division, where he led operations across 49 counties in Northern and Central California, from Bakersfield to the Oregon border. He worked closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement to reduce drug poisonings, disrupt trafficking networks, and improve public safety in vulnerable areas such as San Francisco’s Tenderloin District. His leadership helped catalyze cross-agency efforts to dismantle command-and-control elements of transnational criminal organizations and to stem the flow of deadly synthetic drugs into American cities.

A U.S. Air Force veteran and former Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), Clark conducted complex criminal, counterintelligence, and counterterrorism operations during his military service—including a combat deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Clark joined DEA in 2008 as a Special Agent in the Los Angeles Field Division, where he conducted investigations against violent gangs, money launderers, and high-level international drug traffickers. He later served as Group Supervisor, Resident Agent in Charge of the Orange County Resident Office, and Assistant Special Agent in Charge in Los Angeles. He also held leadership roles within DEA Headquarters as a Senior Inspector and Inspector in the Office of Professional Responsibility, ensuring institutional integrity and investigative accountability across the agency.

Clark holds a Bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University and earned his Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. He is a member of the Georgia State Bar.

The Los Angeles Field Division sits at the forefront of DEA’s mission—intercepting global drug networks, targeting chemical supply routes, and protecting one of the most complex urban environments in the nation. Clark’s operational background, legal training, and proven leadership make him exceptionally well prepared to take on this responsibility.

Clark takes over from his predecessor, Matthew W. Allen, who has been appointed to a new role. Allen is now serving as the Drug Enforcement Administration’s new Chief of Operations.