TRENTON -- New Jersey's longtime leader of the state police, who is in the running to be President Donald Trump's new head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, announced his resignation Wednesday.

State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes, a top official in Gov. Chris Christie's administration, made the announcement alongside the governor at the Statehouse, further fueling speculation Trump could tap him to head the DEA.

His resignation is effective Nov. 1, Christie said, conceding his departure is met with "some measure of regret, but a level of pride."

"I want to thank Rick for serving our state with honor," Christie said. "There are only a few people who I have worked with through my entire career as U.S. attorney and governor, and Rick is one of them."

He added: "When I became governor, it was a relief to me that Rick was here ... and it has been an honor for me to stand with him for the last eight years."

Last month, reports said Fuentes is "a leading contender" for the job after acting DEA administrator Chuck Rosenberg announced to staff he would step down.

Two sources in state and federal government with knowledge of the situation told NJ Advance Media that Fuentes was being actively considered for the post in Trump's administration.

Fuentes, 66, has made several trips to Washington, D.C., in the first year of the Trump administration, even presenting the president with an honorary State Police badge in a private meeting in the Oval Office in May.

The colonel was said to be considering retirement in the waning months of Christie's administration. He was appointed by Gov. James E. McGreevey in 2003 and is among the State Police's longest-tenured superintendents.

Christie selected Lt. Col. Patrick Callahan to succeed Fuentes.

Fuentes spent much of his career prior to his appointment as superintendent working on drug and gang investigations, an important job in the statewide police force in New Jersey, where the highways are major pipelines for drug dealers.

The New York Times reported that outgoing DEA administrator Rosenberg, a holdover from President Barack Obama's administration, stepped down out of frustration with Trump's statements on law enforcement. The newspaper cited law enforcement sources who said Rosenberg "had become convinced that President Trump had little respect for the law."

NJ Advance Media staff writer S.P. Sullivan contributed to this report.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.