Elhrick J. Cerdan

Resident Agent in Charge
Homeland Security Investigations

Mr. Elhrick J. Cerdan is currently the Resident Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Santa Rosa, California. As the principal investigative component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), HSI investigates, disrupts, and dismantles transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and terrorist networks that threaten or seek to exploit the customs and immigration laws of the United States. In this role, Mr. Cerdan oversees investigative operations targeting TCOs within the seven northwestern counties of the Northern District of California, encompassing an area of responsibility of over 13,000 square miles and over 300 miles of maritime border.

Prior to this assignment, Mr. Cerdan was promoted to HSI Headquarters as a National Program Manager at the HSI Innovation Lab, the agency’s centralized hub for the development of data analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities, tools, and enhanced business processes. In this role, he led teams that worked on several big data, Agile projects, such as the Lead Tracker application, the DHS Joint Requirements Council acquisitions programs, and other ad hoc requests from field offices worldwide. Before his promotion, Mr. Cerdan was assigned to HSI Miami, where he investigated financial crimes as a member of the El Dorado Task Force – South High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) group.

Mr. Cerdan began his law enforcement career in 2009 at HSI Oklahoma City as a founding member of the Green Twister HIDTA Task Force, a multi-jurisdiction partnership focused on identifying and seizing the assets and criminal proceeds of TCOs. During that time, he conducted complex investigations into financial crimes and drug trafficking activities tied to Mexican TCOs operating in the Western District of Oklahoma.

In 2005, Mr. Cerdan enlisted as a field radio operator in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and is currently serving as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He earned both his Bachelor and Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami, as well as his Juris Doctor from the Oklahoma City University. Mr. Cerdan also earned a graduate certificate from the U.S. Naval War College in Naval Command and Staff (Joint Professional Military Education – I). He has been a certified Defensive Tactics Instructor for over a decade, ensuring his colleagues can safely apply different levels of use of force in dynamic situations. Mr. Cerdan is a native of Miami, Florida.