US Drug Enforcement Administration

Peter A. Vainauskas currently serves as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) for the Fresno District Office where he oversees the Fresno District Office and Bakersfield Resident Office. These two offices cover Inyo, Kern, Kings, Tulare, Fresno, Mariposa, and Madera Counties in California.
Mr. Vainauskas is a native of Chicago, Illinois. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas and a Master’s of Science degree in Inter-American Defense and Security from the Inter-American Defense College in Washington, D.C. He is also a graduate from the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, at Sam Houston State University.
Mr. Vainauskas started his law enforcement career in 1991. He worked as Texas Peace Officer for approximately 11 years, with the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, Pittsburg Police Department and Mount Pleasant Police Department. During that time, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in both Patrol and Criminal Investigation Divisions. Additionally, Mr. Vainauskas worked as a SWAT and Honor Guard member at the Mt. Pleasant PD. He obtained a Master Peace Officer and Instructors License from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.
Mr. Vainauskas was hired by the DEA in August 2001 and worked at the DEA Dallas Field Division and Tyler Resident Office. In 2002, he was assigned to the Fresno Resident Office as a Special Agent. In 2010, he promoted to Group Supervisor and was assigned as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force Commander in Fresno. In 2013, the Office of National Drug Control Policy selected him as a national HIDTA Commander of the Year.
In 2016, Mr. Vainauskas was transferred to DEA Headquarters as a Staff Coordinator to the Financial Operations Section, where he oversaw money laundering operations from ten different DEA field divisions and global cryptocurrency cases. In March 2018, he was promoted to Deputy Section Chief, where he oversaw all of DEA’s global money laundering operations.
In March 2019, Mr. Vainauskas transferred to the position of ASAC at the San Francisco Field Division Office where he supervised the Administrative Officer Section, Special Support Unit, Financial Investigations Team, Technical Operations Group, DEA’s Pacific Region Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Coordinator, Asset Removal Group and the Santa Rosa Resident Office. In 2021, Mr. Vainauskas served as the Acting Special Agent in Charge for the San Francisco Field Division. In July 2022, Mr. Vainauskas was transferred as an ASAC to the Fresno District Office where he manages the day to day operations for the DEA Offices in Fresno and Bakersfield. He is also a proud member of the DEA’s Black and Gold Pipes and Drums.