About
Norita N. Persaud
Norita Persaud is a controlled substance and [pharmaceutical expert with 18 years of diverse investigative, criminal, regulatory and compliance experience. She proudly served with the Drug Enforcement Administration for 13 years investigating violations of the Controlled Substance Act (CSA), and the Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act (CDTA) regarding the manufacture, distribution, and dispensing of legitimately produced controlled substances and listed chemicals, to prevent diversion of the same into the illicit market and ensure compliance with federal law.
Ms. Persaud began her career with the DEA as a Diversion Investigator. For a period of 9 years while stationed in Mississippi and Florida, respectively, she led and completed regulatory and investigative cases resulting in criminal convictions, civil fines, and administrative consequences. She utilized her analytical skills to identify potential targets and to illustrate trends of pharmaceutical diversion. During her tenure as a Diversion Investigator, Ms. Persaud maintained outstanding ratings throughout and was the recipient of numerous performance and on-the-spot awards related to her contributions, to include the 2016 Mississippi Top Cop Award.
After her tenure as a field Investigator, Ms. Persaud was promoted to a Supervisory Diversion role in Los Angeles, California, where she trained and led a group of Investigators at the Southern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)-the first ever such group located in a HIDTA in the U.S. Under her guidance, Investigators seized thousands of dosage units of controlled substances and over 3 million dollars in cash and assets throughout the course of their investigations. During her tenure in Los Angeles, Ms. Persaud presented/lectured at training seminars for federal, state, and local officials, colleges/universities, regulatory boards and various DEA registrant populations regarding the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and its implementing regulations.
Subsequently, Ms. Persaud was selected for a coveted overseas Supervisory Diversion Investigator position in Bogota, Colombia, DEA’s Andean Region, where she served as the controlled substance and precursor chemical subject matter expert for DEA personnel in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, their governments. In this role she led, trained, funded, worked bi-lateral criminal investigations and served as an advisor and consultant to the Colombian National Police’s (CNP’s) Chemical Inspection Unit; a unit tasked with regulatory/compliance inspections on 3,500+ chemical businesses in the country; initiated administrative actions on chemical licensure via the Colombian Ministry of Justice, which resulted in the revocation of chemical licensure of numerous businesses due to diversion; and conducted criminal investigations into chemical Drug Trafficking Organizations which led to numerous arrests and record seizures of precursor chemicals destined for cocaine-producing clandestine laboratories. Further, she strategized with Colombian Attorney General counterparts to strengthen the country’s precursor chemical regulations, laws and implementation. Ms. Persaud conducted trainings and served as a guest speaker to foreign government law enforcement counterparts and officials. - liaised, coordinated and investigated leads with various offices, agencies, and interagency task forces both within and outside of the continental United States regarding precursor chemicals, controlled substances and tableting/encapsulating machines, imported, exported and manufactured (both licitly and illicitly) within the Andean Region in accordance with the CSA and International Agreements with the International Narcotics Board.
Throughout her career Ms. Persaud has served as a mentor and trainer for new Investigators and is a notable speaker on all issues relating to controlled substance compliance and diversion. She has presented and spoken at industry events, regulatory trainings and community outreach programs, to provide guidance and diversion expertise to DEA Registrants, law enforcement entities, regulatory agencies and the community regarding the CSA and the CDTA.
Ms. Persaud currently owns her own consulting firm where she guides DEA Registrants and companies, (to include drug manufacturers/distributors and retail/compounding pharmacies) and attorneys, through complex federal and state regulations regarding controlled substances and pharmaceutical products; as well as strategizes and implements proper processes within these companies to ensure compliance with these regulations.