Cartagena Investigation Spreads To DEA

The news media is reporting tonight that two DEA agents assigned to Cartagena are under investigation for allegedly hiring Colombian prostitutes. Unlike in the Secret Service incident, these agents were resident in Cartagena. Also unlike in the earlier incident, they kept their indiscretions indoors and in private. Most interestingly, DEA was reportedly informed of this matter by the Secret Service. Huh ...

Washington (CNN) -- Three Drug Enforcement Administration agents are under investigation for allegedly hiring prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia, a congressional source confirms to CNN.

According to this source, House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King, R-New York, and committee investigators have been "aware of this for some time."

-- snip --

[Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) of the Senate Homeland Security Committee] released a statement today later Monday, saying, "It's disturbing that we may be uncovering a troubling culture that spans more than one law enforcement agency.

"In addition to the Secret Service scandal, we now learn that at least two DEA agents apparently entertained female foreign national masseuses in the Cartagena apartment of one of the agents. The evidence uncovered thus far indicates that this likely was not just a one-time incident," Collins added in her statement.

DEA spokesman Rusty Payne said the matter has been turned over to the Justice Department inspector general.

"The Drug Enforcement Administration was provided information from the Secret Service unrelated to the Cartagena hotel Secret Service incident, which DEA immediately followed up on, making DEA employees available to be interviewed by the Department of Justice's Office of Inspector General. DEA takes allegations of misconduct very seriously and will take appropriate personnel action, if warranted, upon the conclusion of the OIG investigation," Payne said.

The DEA was provided this information by the Secret Service? It isn't clear how the Secret Service was in a position to know about the call-in masseuse appointments of DEA agents in Cartagena, but I assume the information came from Secret Service contacts with either the DEA agents themselves or the masseuses. (Masseuses, escorts ... I guess no commercial sex worker in Cartagena calls herself a prostitute.)

The Secret Service Director is scheduled to testify before Congress on Wednesday, and that might possibly have some bearing on the timing of this leak to CNN by a congressional source.

For the Drug Enforcement Administration, this might not have a happy ending.