Michael “Mike” Buemi

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Michael “Mike” Buemi
U.S. Department of War

Michael “Mike” Buemi is an Army Infantry combat veteran, a former Special Agent (SA) for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of War (DASW) for Counternarcotics (CN) and Global Threats (GT). In this capacity, he oversees policies, strategies, resource allocation, and program execution for Department of War (DoW) activities related to countering drug trafficking, counter-transnational organized crime, counter-threat finance, counter-piracy, counter-small unmanned aerial systems, stability operations, peacekeeping, and civil affairs.  His portfolio also supports efforts to counter illicit trafficking of people, wildlife, weapons, money, and natural resources.  Mike advises the Secretary of War and other senior DoW officials, ensuring interagency coordination to disrupt illicit networks and promote global stability.

Prior to this role, Mike had a distinguished career as an SA with the DEA.  He developed innovative investigative strategies leveraging partnerships across the U.S. government.  He led global operations in coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Federal Bureau of Investigation, DoD, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Department of State, and numerous other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

Internationally, Mike led groundbreaking investigations in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, the Hong Kong Police Force, India’s Narcotics Control Bureau, and Mexican law enforcement.  His leadership was pivotal in dismantling major transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) involved in manufacturing and trafficking fentanyl analogues and precursors.  These efforts resulted in numerous indictments, arrests, extraditions, sanctions, and multi-million-dollar rewards through Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program.

Mike’s leadership contributed to the neutralization of several high-profile TCOs, including the Zhang Jian and Du Changgen TCOs, the Wei Zhang and Wang Jiantong TCOs in China, the Vivas-Ceron/Berry TCO in Canada, and a major fentanyl precursor manufacturing network in India that is assessed to be among the largest producers of fentanyl precursors in the world. His efforts earned multiple awards from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, DOJ Attorney General, DEA, HSI, and various other organizations. Mike was named DEA’s SA of the Year for “Emerging Trends Investigations” by the National Association of Federal Narcotics Agents for 2024.

Motivated by the devastating impact of synthetic opioids, Mike devoted extensive time to training DEA agents and international partners in advanced investigative techniques, including undercover operations involving illicit synthetics from source countries, cryptocurrency money laundering, and dark web trafficking. He has taught at International Law Enforcement Academies around the world, including in Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.

Mike has served over 20 years combined in active duty U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserves, and the Florida Army National Guard assignments. He served as a Joint Counternarcotics Officer, Joint Fires and Effects Officer, Joint Interagency Officer, Infantry Company Commander, Executive Officer, and Platoon Leader, including a combat deployment to Afghanistan with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Stetson University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix