Last year when an agent was killed in the line of duty, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics found itself in the spotlight Human Resources Director Sheena McCrory said. Many people, however, remain unaware of what the program is and what it does.
The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics visited campus at the career center Tuesday for to discuss employment opportunities through the bureau.
Established in 1971 under statutory authority to enforce the state’s Uniform Controlled Substances Law and to serve as the state’s primary drug enforcement agency, MBN confiscates drugs and contraband and arrests suspected drug law violators.
Though MBN headquarters is located in Byram, there are nine district offices statewide, including one in Oxford. The bureau employs 152 people: 110 are certified law enforcement agents and 42 are civilians.
In addition to brief information about the bureau as a whole, McCrory made a point to discuss the two drugs ranked No. 1 in Mississippi, pharmaceutical diversion (diversion of illicit drugs for illicit purposes) and ICE (methamphetamine).
McCrory said 80 percent of overdose deaths are from prescription drugs. McCrory said pharmaceutical diversion involves diversion of drugs from legal and medically necessary uses toward uses that are illegal and typically not medically authorized or necessary.
For example, the diversion unit seeks doctors who overprescribe opioids.
Another example is doctor shopping, which is when people visit multiple doctors, obtaining multiple prescriptions for the same drug. As a result, they may abuse the drugs or sell to other abusers.
McCrory said civilian work within the bureau is instrumental in accomplishing its goals.
“I said all of that just to tell you, as civilians, it is our job to support agents, and without agents, we would not have the MBN,” she said.
One of the student interns works to help uncover doctors shipping and selling the drugs on the street for a profit.
“Our deputy director is all for educating and wanting to get our face out there,” McCrory said. “That’s basically what I wanted to do. I wanted to educate students on the background and the pressing issues currently in the state of Mississippi.”
Junior criminal justice major Mi’esha Smith said, “I attended the info session so that I could possibly find an internship opportunity and learn about drug use in Mississippi.”
According to a student intern with the program, the goals of the bureau include a range of activities with anything dealing with drugs, from taking down drug dealers to tackling drug cartels. As such, narcotics extends beyond mere drug crimes.
The student intern said, “narcotics goes into many different arenas; it goes into homicide and gun trafficking, opioid and pharmaceutical abuses. It can also go through fraud or armed robbery cases. So, narcotics branches out into a bunch of illegal enterprises.”
Statewide positions are for agents, intelligence analysts, administrative assistants and internships. At headquarters in Byram, there is a need for non-permanent, contract positions in dispatch, paying $12 an hour with an option of overtime.
As such, MBN needs two people in information technology with a starting salary of around $29,000. Also, attorney, paralegal and human resource opportunities are available. Even more so, there are pilot positions with an added salary of $12,000.
The hiring process is intensive, as it is the same for both agent and civilian applicants.
Applicable candidates must submit a certified birth certificate and high school and college transcripts (The minimal requirement of dispatch positions is a high school diploma or equivalent).
McCrory said the director approves all hiring processes. Once approved, the information is sent to the office in which the applicant will intern or work. At that time, an agent will conduct the background investigation.
If the background investigation is satisfactory, a polygraph examination is required, as interns will do the same work as agents, simply without a gun or vehicle.
According to EJ Presley, University of Mississippi assistant director of career development, the career center will host the Marshall County Correctional Facility at 12 p.m. Thursday, April 6 in regard to internship opportunities.
