Ms. Susan A. Gibson is the Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division.  Ms. Gibson’s strong and diverse law enforcement background has afforded her successful working relationships with her state and local counterparts, extensive experience in international drug trafficking organizations and the illicit sale of pharmaceuticals.  

In February 1993, Ms. Gibson began her law enforcement career as a Police Officer and Narcotics Detective with the Mount Pleasant Police Department, South Carolina.  In 1997, Ms. Gibson was hired as a DEA Special Agent and was assigned to the New York City Division’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Unit where she gained invaluable experience conducting both domestic and international narcotics investigations.  Early in her career, Ms. Gibson was also trained as a Trauma Team Member where she responded to critical incidents ranging from job related shootings to death notifications. 

In October 2005, Ms. Gibson was promoted to a Group Supervisor in the New York City Drug Enforcement Task Force, the oldest and most successful task force in the country, comprised of DEA Agents, New York Police Department Detectives, and New York State Police Investigators.  Ms. Gibson led her group during the Fentanyl surge in New York City and was able to navigate between successful investigations and the safety of her group members.

In December 2010, Ms. Gibson was transferred to the DEA’s Office of Professional Responsibility, Northeast Region, were she was part of a team assigned to an Executive Priority Investigation targeting corruption amongst international vetted units assigned to DEA.    

In June 2014, Ms. Gibson was promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the New York City Drug Enforcement Task Force overseeing six active enforcement groups.  In addition to her duties as an Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Ms. Gibson handled numerous critical incidents and worked closely with the Employee Assistance Program to provide assistance to employees and family members in need.

In September 2017, Ms. Gibson was selected for promotion into the Senior Executive Service as the Deputy Assistant Administrator in DEA’s Diversion Control Division’s Regulatory Program, with the responsibility over 1.8 million DEA registrants.  In this capacity, she led the programs responsible for the regulation of all controlled substances within the United States and to ensure the proper registration for those who could access them.  Ms. Gibson was also responsible for the control over the United States Aggregate Production Quotas, controlling the amount of raw material allowed to be disseminated yearly for the production of controlled substances used by United States citizens.  Ms. Gibson traveled to the Republic of China as a representative of DEA to work with the Ministry of Public Safety to advocate for the control of all Fentanyl substances produced in their country, ultimately resulting in the control of 32 substances by the Republic of China, and a review of a class control for Fentanyl.  Ms. Gibson’s tenure in the Regulatory Division also saw seven emergency scheduling actions for controlled substances, permanently controlling three designer drugs and the class control on all Fentanyl related substances.  Ms. Gibson has testified in front of the United States Congressional House and Energy Committee on the dangers of synthetic drugs in the United States and the efforts the Drug Enforcement Administration has taken to combat the importation and distribution within the United States.    

Ms. Gibson is a 1992 graduate from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Criminal Justice.