Pubdate: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 Source: El Paso Times (TX) Copyright: 2009 El Paso Times Contact: http://www.elpasotimes.com/formnewsroom Website: http://www.elpasotimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/829 Author: Chris Roberts, Staff Writer DEA AGENT WHO DIED IN AFGHANISTAN WORKED IN EL PASO EL PASO - A Drug Enforcement Administration agent killed when his helicopter crashed in Afghanistan also risked his life fighting drug dealers in El Paso. Special Agent Forrest N. Leamon, 37, and two other agents died Monday when a CH-47 Chinook went down in the western part of the country, said a DEA official in Washington, D.C. The military is investigating the cause of the crash. Weather was thought to be a factor. "He was a hardworking, committed DEA agent who volunteered for the assignment" in Afghanistan, said Joe Arabit, special agent in charge of the DEA's El Paso operation. "He put his life on the line to make this country a better, safer place for all of us." Leamon began his DEA service in El Paso in 2002. He remained here until 2007, when he joined a unit that accepted foreign deployments. In Afghanistan, that DEA team works with the U.S. military, Arabit said. "He was involved in counter-narcotic operations that resulted in the identification and ultimate seizure and destruction of heroin labs." Leamon had several friends in the El Paso office, Arabit said. "This is a tremendous loss. His friends here are taking it very hard." One of those people is Special Agent Diana Apodaca. "He was always there when you needed help on a case," Apodaca said. "It didn't matter whether he was the case agent who would get the ultimate credit." Leamon's duties in El Paso were diverse, including undercover operations, surveillance and making arrests, Arabit said. As part of a DEA Mobile Enforcement Team, Leamon was a lead investigator on cases in New Mexico and most of West Texas. Targets included gangs selling crack, heroin and other drugs. Leamon was born in Ukiah, Calif. He served nine years in the Navy before joining the DEA. He is survived by his pregnant wife, who lives in Woodbridge, Va.; his mother and father; and a sister. Also killed in the crash were Special Agents Chad L. Michael, 30, of Quantico, Va., and Michael E. Weston, 37, of Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr