As DEA’s first female administrator, Karen Tandy (2003-2007), led DEA’s efforts to strip drug lords of billions of dollars in drug assets and wipe out most of the nation’s illegal methamphetamine labs. Ms. Tandy also strengthened DEA’s global position, which led to historic extraditions of drug lords from major drug cartels worldwide.
In the top two photos, Haji Baz Mohammad, one of the world’s most wanted, powerful, and dangerous drug kingpins at the time, is extradited to the United States in 2005 and Karen Tandy tours an Afghan prison with Interior Minister for Counter Narcotics Mohammad Daud Daud, who has just shown her the cell that the kingpin had occupied. Mr. Mohammad allegedly told co-conspirators that selling drugs to Americans was a jihad because they were taking Americans’ money and the heroin was killing them.
Also featured is a platter which was a diplomatic gift presented to Administrator Tandy by the Turkish National Police during an international visit to Istanbul, Turkey, is 2004. DEA has relationships with numerous countries worldwide and shares operational and strategic initiatives related to drug law enforcement.
In the bottom two photos on the right, Administrator Tandy is photographed with detail in Afghanistan, ca. 2003 and participates in a 2004 conference in Istanbul, Turkey. Ms. Tandy was presented with the platter displayed in this exhibit during this conference.