Please join us for our next In-Person Meeting with guest speaker, Kelly Dillinger

Kelly will be covering DEA’s aviation surveillance mission/platforms and other programs

Supervisory Special Agent Kelly Dillinger has a 28 year career in Federal Law Enforcement and 6-years with the Army Reserves.

He graduated from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia with a degree in Administration of Justice .

Kelly began working for the Office of the Inspector General on Capitol Hill in 1994 where he conducted investigations into fraud, waste and abuse of US Government funds. 

In 1998, Kelly accepted a job as a Deputy United States Marshal in Washington, DC where he worked on the fugitive apprehension squad, witness protection program and CON Air.

In 1999, Kelly began his career with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City.  Kelly was assigned to the South American Response Group where he targeted South American Drug Trafficking Organizations whose sole purpose was facilitating the movement of cocaine and heroin to the United States.  Kelly worked investigations in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela which resulted in the seizures of several tons of drugs, tens of millions of dollars in currency, luxury properties and cars as well as bank accounts.   

Later, Kelly accepted a role in DEA’s Mobile Enforcement Team (MET), where his teams worked in an undercover capacity in smaller, remote towns, in New York.  The MET team would receive requests from members of Congress and local officials to augment police departments that didn’t have the resources, funding or expertise to target drug dealers operating in the immediate area.  These undercover assignments were approximately 4 - 6 months in duration with the main goal of identifying and building the trust of the local dealers then subsequently making multiple controlled purchases of  drugs/narcotics.  These purchases were surveilled and recorded with video and audio evidence and at the end of the tour, DEA and the local departments were responsible for arresting these local dealers and ensuring they were removed form the street.  The average arrest would usually net 30 - 40 defendants and enough documented evidence to ensure the average prison sentence was between 5 - 10 years. 

After leaving New York, Kelly transferred to Lake Havasu City, AZ where he targeted organizations producing and distributing methamphetamine in the Southwest United States.

Supervisory Special Agent Dillinger then transferred back to the East Coast where he assumed the position of Unit Chief over DEA’s Office of Investigative Technology, Internet Intercept Group.   Drug Traffickers around the world were familiar with law enforcement’s telephone intercept capabilities and felt that the Internet was a safe and secure alternative for communications.  Kelly’s responsibilities included working with Internet and email providers such as Google, America On Line, Microsoft, Facebook and Verizon to ensure that lawful access was given to DEA for any requested data.   As a result of the success of DEA’s Internet Protocol (IP) intercept program,  Kelly was asked if he would be willing to implement the same program in Afghanistan as US and coalition forces were building up.

DEA implemented a country wide judicialized intercept program to target the Taliban who control the heroin trade.  DEA’s real-time intercept program was instrumental in saving the lives of countless US and coalition members lives. 

Upon completing a two-year tour in Afghanistan with DEA, Kelly returned to the US as a pilot, flying surveillance aircraft in DEA’s Office of Aviation where he was assigned to Tucson, AZ.

After four-years in Tucson, Kelly took a promotion here to Fort Worth where he currently oversees DEA’s Western Aviation Operations.

Room and Food Sponsered by Axis Communications