KEITH LEIGHTON - Badges, Bad Guys & Busts

Badges, Bad Guys

& Busts

Untold Stories of a DEA Agent

KEITH LEIGHTON

Copyright 2021 Keith Leighton

BADGES, BAD GUYS & BUSTS

Untold Stories of a DEA Agent

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any meanswhether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronicwithout written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This is a true story. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are true except for some names that are protected for security purposes.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021910086

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Editor Frank Sabina

Co-editor Erica Meyer Leighton

Cover design by Dana Bree, StoneBear Design

StoneBear Publishing LLC - 05/2021,

Milford, PA 18337

www.stonebearpublishing.com

DISCLAIMER

A s was repeated to us every day at the DEA Academy, the most important thing to remember in this job is that Everyone goes home at night. I have always believed that and kept that mantra in the back of my head during operations as an agent and while supervising other agents. With that being said, some of the names and photos in this book have been changed to protect the individuals. However, some real names and photos have been used. In these cases, I received written permission from the individuals involved for this disclosure. In other instances, the individuals real name was used due to the individual being deceased. Additionally, some of the exact investigative techniques have been changed due to the sensitivity of those particular techniques.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

T o my parents, Bernie and Marie; my sister Megan, her husband John, and their family, Matthew, Peter, Andrew and Joseph; my beautiful wife, Erica, and our amazing children, Lindsey, Jessica and Casey. Thank you for all the love and support you have given me throughout the years. Although you dont know it, you were the true heroes throughout this adventure. I couldnt have done it without you. Thank you

To Peter, Mike and Tom. You know who you are. Thank you for the incredible support that you have always given to me and my family throughout the years. You are true friends.

To Dianne, Earl, Toby, Sam, Charlotte, Skyler, Preston, Austin, Brittany, Ryan and Ava. Thank you for coming into my life and accepting me and my family. You always treated everyone in my family like they were your own and thats an amazing feeling.

To all of my fellow agents, task force officers, DEA administrative staff members, police officers, prosecutors, judges and foreign colleagues. Youre the best of the best. None of this could have been done without you. Thank you for many years of friendship, camaraderie and good times. You were the best teammates anyone could have asked for. I owe everything to all of you.

To those that made the ultimate sacrifice while serving this country, you will never be forgotten. You are true American heroes. God bless you all.

A special dedication goes out to my wife, Erica. Although I have had many partners throughout my career with the DEA, you are the best partner I have ever had.

ENDORSEMENTS

Keith Leighton is one of the most dedicated professionals Ive had the honor to work alongside. His ideals and values are incontrovertible as is his belief in service to his country. I am truly blessed to call him a friend.

Mauricio Jimenez

Assistant Special Agent in Charge (retired), Drug Enforcement Administration, 1998-2020

*****

Keith burst on the scene in Miami as a young, wet-behind-the- ears Special Agent ready to change the world. And you know what? He did! I knew from the first time we met that he had every tool required to be a great DEA agent: brains, dedication, integrity and devotion to duty. The most amazing part of Keiths story is that every word is true! Not the movies. Not a made-for-TV drama. Real lifegood and bad. Keith made a difference, and frankly is representative of the truly incredible women and men on the front lines of our countrys deadly War on Drugs.

Guy Lewis

Director, Executive Office for United States Attorneys, 2002-04 United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, 2000-02 Assistant United States Attorney, 1988-2002

*****

Badges, Bad guys and Busts is a comprehensive look at the career of one of the finest DEA agents I have ever had the privilege to work with. From cartels to murders... from the wire room to the courtroom, this book has it all.

David DeVillers,

Former US Attorney and Assistant US Attorney, Southern District of Oho (2002-2021)

*****

Keith was one of those agents that was always in the middle of a good case. He was a hard-charger with a sense of humor and understood the power of collaboration in counter-drug law enforcement. Whether he was working multi-ton cocaine transportation cases in Miami, attacking the MDMA surge at the source in Europe or dismantling drug gangs in small-town Ohio, Keith identified the threat and then showed up early each morning and stayed late at night to make the case. There were many times Keith and I would be sitting together on surveillance or at a bar after a take-down and wed shake our heads at the audacity of the drug dealers we pursued or marvel at the luck we had catching a break in a tough investigation. Then one of us would say if this were in a book no one would believe it... well believe it! Keith wasnt much of a story-teller or braggart while doing the job so I am glad he got the chance to deliver his story in this fun read about serious crimes now that hes retired. I was fortunate to cross paths with a great crime fighter and patriot like Keith Leighton and dozens of others like him. God bless the men and women of the DEA.