Narcotics agent vs case investigator

The differences between narcotics agents and case investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a narcotics agent and a case investigator. Additionally, a narcotics agent has an average salary of $65,852, which is higher than the $55,196 average annual salary of a case investigator.

The top three skills for a narcotics agent include patrol, criminal investigations and crime scenes. The most important skills for a case investigator are management system, litigation, and background investigations.

Narcotics agent vs case investigator overview

	Narcotics Agent	Case Investigator
Yearly salary	$65,852	$55,196
Hourly rate	$31.66	$26.54
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	25,101	42,921
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Narcotics agent vs case investigator salary

Narcotics agents and case investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Narcotics Agent	Case Investigator
Average salary	$65,852	$55,196
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $97,000	Between $30,000 And $98,000
Highest paying City	-	Irvine, CA
Highest paying state	-	Maryland
Best paying company	-	The Travelers Companies
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between narcotics agent and case investigator education

There are a few differences between a narcotics agent and a case investigator in terms of educational background:

	Narcotics Agent	Case Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Narcotics agent vs case investigator demographics

Here are the differences between narcotics agents' and case investigators' demographics:

	Narcotics Agent	Case Investigator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%	Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 2.8% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between narcotics agent and case investigator duties and responsibilities

Narcotics agent example responsibilities.

Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.
Conduct searches of all Latin American and Caribbean AA flights inbound and outbound for illegal narcotics and firearms.
Review all complete DEA integrity/misconduct investigations, shooting investigations, accidents with government vehicles and property loss or damage negligence/liability reports.
Conduct joint planning and manage AFOSI's criminal investigations and counterintelligence operations in northern Italy.

Case investigator example responsibilities.

Analyze alerts identify in the internal wire system and AML monitoring system queue.
Prepare necessary documentation for IRB/ FDA submission, budgets for upcoming studies, and assist in protocol preparation.
Conduct complex anti-money laundering (AML) case investigations throughout different lines of business, including correspondent banking.
Request medical records and other important documentation from clients in preparation for litigation.
Research information for class action securities, insurance, products liability, and shareholder derivatives litigation.
Investigate and open cases on customers and non-customers who have potentially engage in activity which goes against federally mandate BSA/AML regulations.

Narcotics agent vs case investigator skills

Common narcotics agent skills

Patrol, 17%
Criminal Investigations, 14%
Crime Scenes, 11%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 10%
Electronic Surveillance, 9%
Subpoenas, 5%

Common case investigator skills

Management System, 74%
Litigation, 5%
Background Investigations, 5%
Law Enforcement Agencies, 4%
SAR, 2%
BSA, 1%

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Narcotics Agent
Narcotics Agent vs Case Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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