A narcotics investigator is a member of the criminal justice system whose primary responsibility is to investigate criminal activities involving the sale, use, and distribution of illegal drugs. A narcotics investigator’s responsibilities include a variety of tasks. One of these activities is the gathering of intelligence on suspected illegal drug dealers and users. This necessitates the narcotics dealer developing and maintaining contacts, as well as interviewing witnesses and drug abuse victims in order to gather relevant information that may lead to the arrest of criminals.
By coordinating the exchange of information, narcotics investigators collaborate with other law enforcement agencies. This contributes to the criminal justice system’s effectiveness. The investigator gathers and organizes evidence from the crime scene, which must be labeled and dated correctly. He or she has the authority to send evidence samples to the lab and to photograph the crime scene, which must be representative of the crime under investigation. To ensure that evidence is admissible in court, it must be collected, photographed, labeled, and subjected to lab diagnostics in accordance with established rules and procedures.
Another duty of a narcotics investigator is to respond quickly to calls from victims, witnesses, and other citizens who have concerns about drug-related issues. A narcotics investigator may be required, depending on the jurisdiction, to initiate and coordinate some drug-related programs in order to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs as well as drug laws. A narcotics investigator might also be expected to commit to and attend some public speaking engagements and other mentorship programs for young people. A narcotics investigator, for example, may be invited to speak to students at a school or may serve as a mentor for troubled young teens through a mentorship program designed for this purpose.
The narcotics investigator’s job is to apprehend drug dealers. In the case of pending arrests or searches, such an investigator may be required to obtain search warrants or arrest warrants from a judge or magistrate. In order to conduct some types of covert surveillance activities, such as wiretapping phones or placing electronic monitoring devices on a suspect, the investigator may need to obtain a warrant from a judge. A narcotics investigator must compile written reports detailing the investigation’s progress, including details such as the charges leveled against the suspects, the facts surrounding the charges, and the admissible evidence related to the crime.