Andrew Chambers, The Feds tagged him “The Exterminator”; and to any crook he’s their worst nightmare. The Government has an on-again off-again love affair with him.

For 30 years he worked more undercover cases than any Federal Agent with no badge and no gun. The list of Government Agents who were promoted behind Andrew’s cases is long and deep. He came into this life not as a career criminal but rather naively.

He wanted to be a guy who wore the white hat, especially after his younger brother was murdered on the drug-fueled streets of St. Louis, although he didn’t have the educational background to apply for a Special Agent’s job with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) so DEA made him an offer to do occasional undercover cases (UC). DEA told Andrew if he knew any drug dealers he could help, and they would pay him. Andrew, a former altar boy, then high school football star who never smoked, used alcohol, or drugs figured he could find one drug dealer in St. Louis.

He did and by 2008 the Justice Department’s Office of Inspection stated Andrew worked on 280 DEA cases in 31 DEA offices. The actual number of cases today is really unknown because he worked for other Federal Agencies, a myriad of State and Local Agencies, and some Foreign Governments not tracked by Justice. By 2008 DEA alone paid Andrew $1,875,308. The actual payment total by all agencies might exceed 3 million.

Andrew learned that the secret to working undercover was to let the crooks discover him; thus he perfected the Accidental Narc persona. In his underworld life Andrew learned to be who he is, and the best he could be while playing who he is not. Andrew learned while becoming the most successful undercover operator in DEA history that GREED is the common denominator for both the crooks and the Federal Agents.

DEA would send him to regions of the country that needed their arrest stats boosted for year-end budget allocations. And Andrew always delivered. Drug millionaires, vicious heroin dealers, and politicians aiding drug cartels for cash were all fair game. He adopted disguises that identified him with major gangs, or fit in at the local county club, as needed. He kept his family sheltered from his dangerous work, sent his kids to college, and specialized in dealers no one else could bust. And he made a lot of money, due to asset seizure laws. Twenty five percent of the assets for each convicted dealer.

Close friends and allies, along with top ranking DEA officials, survivor of internal DEA political turf wars Andrew only trusted high-ranking DEA supervisors who knew his identity and whereabouts. Andrew Chambers has seen the entire War on Drugs up close, and survived by wit and charm alone.

He learned the value and rule of trust and betrayal, the lessons of intense struggle over huge amounts of cash, the weakness of many humans and the ethical and emotional dynamics that we all can adopt to win our personal and professional wars. Andrew Chambers taught us humility, strategy, observation, dynamic planning and an approach to winning you won’t find anywhere but the mean streets.