Michele Leonhart to step down as chief of DEA in mid-May

The Obama administration's top drug enforcement official is expected to resign in mid-May amid a scandal over sex parties with prostitutes.

Michele Leonhart, who has served the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) since 2007, will step down as the sex scandal involving drug agents and cartel-hired prostitutes has tarnished the agency's repo and lawmakers, expressed no confidence in her leadership.

Leonhart has come under heavy criticism at Capitol Hill since the Justice Department inspector general's report last month documented a series of episodes in which agents working abroad took part in sex parties with prostitutes.

They were also found to have had sex parties with prostitutes that were funded by the Colombian drug cartels. The report focused on cases from 2009 to 2012 but also cited complaints dating to 2005.

The report also found that the activities happened over a number of years and in addition to the sex parties, the agents were also provided with money, gifts and weapons from cartel members.

Leonhart's pending departure was announced by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in a statement Tuesday. He noted that noted she was the first woman at the agency to attain the rank of special agent in charge.

He said, "Over the past decade, under her leadership, there have been innumerable instances of the DEA dismantling the most violent and most significant drug trafficking organizations and holding accountable the largest drug kingpins around the world".

Although Leonhart testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last Wednesday and claimed that the activity will not be tolerated, the panel announced it had lost confidence in her leadership.

Seven agents admitted to the accusations received suspensions of two to 10 days, and under harsh questioning from the House panel.

Leonhart mentioned that she had been powerless to take more aggressive action such as firing them or revoking their security clearances.