Undercover Operation Protocols Flashcards
7 cards from real DEA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Undercover Operation Protocols flashcards as text
Which federal statute primarily governs the permissible scope of undercover operations conducted by DEA agents?
Answer: The DEA Agents Manual and applicable U.S. Attorney General Guidelines on Undercover Operations
DEA undercover operations are governed by the DEA Agents Manual and the Attorney General's Guidelines on the Use of Informants and Cooperating Witnesses.
When an undercover agent is offered narcotics by a target during a buy-walk operation, what is the correct immediate protocol?
Answer: Accept the narcotics, document the transaction, and maintain cover while notifying the case agent
In a buy-walk operation, the undercover agent accepts the narcotics to document the transaction and preserve the investigation before surveillance arrests are made later.
What distinguishes 'entrapment' from a legitimate undercover inducement under DEA guidelines?
Answer: Entrapment occurs when government inducement causes an otherwise unwilling person to commit a crime they had no predisposition to commit
The legal standard for entrapment focuses on whether the defendant lacked predisposition to commit the crime and was induced by government action.
During a multi-jurisdictional undercover operation, which entity must grant approval before DEA agents conduct a 'sensitive circumstance' operation involving a foreign national on U.S. soil?
Answer: DEA Headquarters with concurrence from the DOJ Criminal Division
Sensitive circumstance operations involving foreign nationals require DEA Headquarters approval with concurrence from the DOJ Criminal Division.
What is the primary purpose of a 'flash roll' in a DEA undercover drug trafficking investigation?
Answer: To demonstrate to a target that the undercover agent has sufficient funds to complete a large drug purchase
A flash roll is government funds displayed to a drug trafficking target to establish the undercover agent's financial credibility for a proposed transaction.
Which documentation must be completed within 72 hours after each undercover contact according to standard DEA operational security protocols?
Answer: A DEA-6 report of investigation detailing the undercover activity
The DEA-6 Report of Investigation must be completed within 72 hours of each undercover contact to document the encounter for evidentiary and oversight purposes.
Under DEA policy, when must an undercover agent's true identity be disclosed during legal proceedings?
Answer: When ordered by a court and when the agent must testify, subject to the law enforcement privilege review
Courts can compel disclosure of an undercover agent's identity when the agent must testify, though the government may invoke the law enforcement privilege subject to judicial review.