An individual who previously served as a chief in the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is facing allegations of aiding in drug trafficking and money laundering a significant sum for a well-known Mexican cartel. Paul Campo is accused of orchestrating a scheme to transfer funds to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a group responsible for about 80% of all cartel-related fatalities in Mexico in the last ten years. Campo, aged 61, a former DEA agent for approximately 25 years, along with his associate Robert Sensi, purportedly converted funds into cryptocurrency to purchase 220kg of cocaine and agreed to launder a minimum of $12 million (£9 million) for the cartel.
Campo and Sensi were apprehended in New York on Thursday afternoon and charged with narcoterrorism, terrorism, drug distribution, and money laundering. They were reportedly ensnared by an undercover law enforcement source posing as a member of the cartel. According to an indictment released to the public on Friday, during a meeting in a New York restaurant in March, the men discussed various methods to transfer money from the US to Mexico, including through real estate investments and smuggling large amounts of physical cash.
Allegedly, Campo boasted to the source about his past experiences assisting clients in reclaiming their funds and even displayed his former DEA badge, revealing his prior employment. Rising through the ranks during his tenure at the DEA to head the Office of Financial Operations targeting money laundering operations, Campo later founded a company called Global Financial Consultants after departing from the agency in 2016.
Earlier this year, the State Department categorized CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization following remarks by former US President Donald Trump likening South American drug cartels to the “ISIS of the Western Hemisphere.” US Attorney Jay Clayton condemned Campo for allegedly betraying his former colleagues and the DEA’s mission, stating that Campo and Sensi conspired to aid CJNG, a notorious Mexican cartel responsible for numerous deaths due to violence and drug trafficking in the US and Mexico.
DEA Administrator Terrance C Cole emphasized that Campo’s indictment sends a clear message that individuals, whether current or former, who breach public trust will face the legal consequences. Cole stressed that engaging in criminal activities post-DEA employment tarnishes the reputation of law enforcement and erodes public confidence, emphasizing a zero-tolerance approach towards such betrayals.