In the Gray Area: DEA Agent Chad Scott and downfall of the DEA New Orleans Task Force

By Chad Scott and James "Skip" Sewell

DEA Agent Chad Scott, known by the nickname the "White Devil," was a highly decorated but controversial agent who was assigned to the infamous New Orleans DEA Task Force. Scott led a group of agents who ruled the Northshore area of New Orleans, where he was widely known and feared by drug traffickers. He had a mythical status among criminals and made an inordinate number of arrests, so many so that during his 16 years with the DEA, there were three attempts on his life. Scott's illustrious career began to unravel in 2016 after two agents who worked for him were arrested. The two agents eventually cooperated with the federal investigative team assigned to the DEA Task Force investigation, and the information they provided led to the arrest of Scott and another agent. His fellow law enforcement officers had a divided reaction to his arrest. His loyal friends and followers believed he was innocent and had been railroaded by his two fellow agents, claiming they lied to investigators so they could save themselves and get their sentences reduced. They cited the absence of physical evidence and the lack of credible witnesses. Those who criticized him thought he was guilty of the crimes for which he was arrested and many more. Scott's detractors often compared him to Denzel Washington's character in the hit movie Training Day and claimed, at the very least, he violated and pushed the limits of the DEA's policies and procedures, constantly working in the gray area. This story is told from the viewpoints of Scott and former DEA Supervisor James "Skip" Sewell. It starts from Scott's early years as a young narcotics detective with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office. It follows his career after he was hired as a Special Agent by the DEA and assigned to the DEA's Houston Office, where he did a controversial three-year stint and was involved in a fatal shooting and the ill-fated investigation of the rap music mogul J. Prince and his company, Rap-A-Lot Records. In 2000, he was transferred back home to the New Orleans office, where he worked side-by-side with and developed a strong friendship with several agents, the same agents who would ultimately turn on him and lead to his downfall.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0F4KQJYSV
• ISBN13: 9798314352526
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 261 Pages
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.6" x 6.0"