Head of U.S. organized crime drug task force fired

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The head of an independent component of the U.S. Department of Justice that combats drugs and organized crime was fired on Friday, the official said on his social media account.

Adam Cohen, director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, posted on LinkedIn on Saturday that he had been fired by the newly confirmed Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump's former criminal defense attorney.

"It was a shock," he noted, adding that he "had met with the Acting DAG every Tuesday evening (including three days before) to talk about important violent crime initiatives."

The firing came 18 hours after a memorandum was sent out under the DAG's signature, which Cohen "had spent last weekend editing," he revealed in the post.

Typically, career Justice Department officials keep their positions across presidential administrations.