A former Special Agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has been indicted for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Paul Campo, who rose to become a senior figure in the agency’s financial operations office, is charged with agreeing to launder millions in drug proceeds for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel based in Mexico. The prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, said Mr. Campo often relied on his experience gained at the agency after he crossed the line.

1. Introduction

On December 5, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, in Manhattan, announced the unsealing of an indictment charging former D.E.A. agent, Paul Campo, and an associate, Robert Sensi, with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and money laundering. (here) Mr. Campo worked for the Drug Enforcement Administration for approximately twenty-five years as a Special Agent in New York and later as the Deputy Chief of the Office of Financial Operations. Mr. Sensi is alleged to be an associate of Mr. Campo. The indictment asserts that they agreed to participate in narcotics trafficking for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel based in Mexico and to launder $12M of CJNG’s drug trafficking proceeds. (here) The cartel was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State on February 20, 2025. (here and here) Writing for The New York Times, justice reporter Benjamin Weiser said both defendants were ordered detained at their first court appearance on December 5, 2025. (here)

2. The Indictment

The indictment alleges that Mr. Campo and Mr. Sensi were caught in a sting operation involving a law enforcement informant. In late 2024 they met with the confidential source, identified in the indictment as CS-1, who was posing as a member of CJNG. During a series of initial meetings and conversations with CS-1, Mr. Sensi said he was friends with Mr. Campo claiming that Mr. Campo, although retired, still had connections with the D.E.A. Mr. Sensi represented that Mr. Campo could launder narcotics proceeds and claimed he could provide CS-1 with D.E.A. information about sources and investigations. The indictment alleges that the following events and discussions occurred following these initial meetings:

• […] PAUL CAMPO and ROBERT SENSI, the defendants, together met with CS-1 to discuss money laundering, drug trafficking, drug manufacturing, and the procurement of firearms and explosive devices for the CJNG. During these conversations, CAMPO and SENSI agreed to launder money for CS-1 by, among other things, converting cash into cryptocurrency and making investments in real estate. CAMPO and SENSI also agreed to explore procuring commercial drones and military-grade weapons and equipment for CJNG, including AR-15 semi-automatic rifles, M4 carbines, M16 rifles, grenade launchers, and rocket propelled grenades. Regarding the drones, in one meeting, CS-1 explained to CAMPO, “what we do with the drones, we put explosives and we just send it over there, boom”; in another conversation, CS-1 asked SENSI how much C-4 explosive the drones could carry, to which SENSI responded, in sum and substance, approximately six kilograms, which is enough to “blow up the whole fucking…I don’t want to say.” [clause 7]
• In connection with these discussions with CS-1, CAMPO, SENSI, and their co-conspirators have laundered funds on three occasions, totaling $750,000, by converting cash into cryptocurrency and returning it to CS-1 and others. The first two times, CAMPO and SENSI agreed to directly participate in a purported narcotics transaction, in which they converted cash into cryptocurrency, which they understood would trigger the distribution of approximately 220 kilograms of cocaine worth approximately $5,000,000, for which CAMPO and SENSI would (i) receive directly a portion of the narcotics proceeds as profit; and (ii) receive a further commission upon the laundering of the balance of the narcotics proceeds. CAMPO and SENSI have further agreed to launder up to at least $12,000,000 of CJNG narcotics proceeds. [clause 8]

The alleged money laundering conspiracy stemmed from meetings at a restaurant in New York and a hotel in Tampa, Florida. During the New York meeting on March 10, 2025, Mr. Campo discussed a variety of methods for laundering CJNG’s drug trafficking proceeds including investment in real estate, using pre-paid cards, converting the proceeds to cryptocurrency and bulk cash smuggling. Mr. Campo also referenced other “projects” he was working on and said he had been hired by others like the head of CJNG to “get their money back.” Ultimately, Mr. Campo, Mr. Sensi and CS-1 agreed that, in order to build trust, CS-1 would provide the defendants with smaller installments of cash from the cartel’s operations in North Carolina and Mr. Campo would convert the cash into cryptocurrency and return it to CS-1. The defendants agreed they would charge CS-1 no more than 8% for this service. [clause 9(b)-(c)]

During the Tampa meeting on March 26, 2025, the defendants agreed to launder up to $12M of CJNG’s drug trafficking proceeds. Mr. Campo proposed investing the funds in real estate and investment vehicles “in order to preserve the assets and receive a return.” The parties agreed that an initial transaction would total approximately $200,000 and Mr. Sensi would pick up the money in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mr. Campo and CS-1 also discussed fentanyl production and the distribution operations of CJNG. At one point, Mr. Campo remarked that he could be a “strategist” for CS-1’s organization. [clause 9(e)]

In furtherance of the conspiracy, the indictment alleges that the following overt acts were committed in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere:

• On March 10, 2025, Mr. Campo and Mr. Sensi met with CS-1 in Manhattan to discuss how they could assist CJNG in moving money from the United States to Mexico.
• On July 16, 2025, Mr. Campo and Mr. Sensi met at a restaurant in Manhattan during which they discussed laundering narcotics proceeds for CJNG, specifically $12M.
• On October 16, 2025, CS-1 met with Mr. Sensi in Manhattan and delivered $250,000 to be converted into cryptocurrency to facilitate a purchase of over 220 kilograms of cocaine in the United States. [clause 27]

The counts of conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and money laundering each carry a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years imprisonment.

3. Conclusion

Terrence Cole, D.E.A. Administrator, slammed Mr. Campo for the alleged corruption. “The indictment of former Special Agent Paul Campo sends a powerful message: those who betray the public trust – past or present – will be held to account to the fullest extent of the law,” he said in a statement. (here) Mr. Campo’s attorney, Mark Gombiner, countered that the indictment is “somewhat sensationalized and somewhat incoherent.” (here) He denied the two men agreed to explore obtaining weapons for the cartel. Reporting for MSN, Alexander Clark said the indictment is not just another corruption case. “[I]t is a stark test of how well federal law enforcement can police its own ranks when the stakes involve both national security and public trust.” (here)