The Nose Knows: DEA"s Canine Training Materials Program, Registration and Safety
This course provides canine agencies with a comprehensive overview of the DEA’s Canine Materials Program, which supports training with six narcotics: crack cocaine, cocaine HCL, black tar heroin, heroin HCL, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Attendees will learn how to apply for, obtain, and maintain a DEA registration, as well as how to submit complete and accurate requests for training materials.











Class overview
This course provides canine agencies with a comprehensive overview of the DEA’s Canine Materials Program, which supports training with six narcotics: crack cocaine, cocaine HCL, black tar heroin, heroin HCL, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Attendees will learn how to apply for, obtain, and maintain a DEA registration, as well as how to submit complete and accurate requests for training materials.
Participants will also gain insight into how the DEA acquires, tests, manufactures, and distributes these materials to ensure quality and consistency. Additionally, the course will cover essential fentanyl safety practices, including proper handling, exposure prevention, and risk mitigation in both training and operational environments.
This session explains:
What odors DEA can provide
How to Apply, Obtain and Maintain a DEA Registration
How to Submit Complete and Accurate requests for training materials.
How DEA Acquires, Tests, Manufactures, and Distributes Training Materials.
Fentanyl Safety Practices






Gabriele Mangold
Gabi Mangold is a Program Analyst with four years of experience at the DEA and in the Caine Program, specializing in program management, compliance, and cross-agency coordination. She began her career in education and special programs, shaping her people-centered and solutions-oriented approach to her work.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Studies from George Mason University and is passionate about improving systems, fostering collaboration, and driving meaningful organizational impact. Outside of work, she enjoys coaching competitive cheer, spending time with her family and training her German Shepherd.

Michelle McGregor
Michelle McGregor is a Supervisory Investigator with Drug Enforcement Administration. She has been in the law enforcement profession for over 30 years stemming from her beginnings with the Little Rock Police Department in Little Rock, Arkansas. In her current DEA role, she is the Unit Chief of the Registration and Processing Operations Unit in the Registration and Business Operations Section in DEA Headquarters which includes the overseeing of the DEA Canine Program. Unit Chief McGregor is experience in investigations in preventing the illegal distribution of controlled substances and listed chemicals from the legitimate channel into the illicit market.








Secure your seat at HITS 2026
Legal defensibility is not theoretical. It is tested in court.
This class helps handlers and agencies prepare before that moment arrives.

Explore other HITS classes
The Drug Canine Legal Update is one part of a broader HITS program designed to strengthen deployment judgment, detection reliability, and operational decision-making in the field. Additional sessions expand that learning across tracking, behavior, detection science, and tactical leadership.









