New York, December 11, 2025 – A former high-ranking official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Paul Campo, was arrested and faces a serious federal prosecution for allegedly conspiring with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) to launder money, facilitate cocaine trafficking, and coordinate material support for a criminal organization designated as a foreign terrorist organization, according to judicial and federal sources.
The accusation was filed in a federal court in the Southern District of New York and detailed by prosecutors who described a criminal activity scheme in which the former agent, along with his alleged collaborator Robert Sensi, would have used his law enforcement experience to assist one of the most violent and extensive drug structures in Mexico and the United States, TNA was able to learn.
Campo, 61, of Oakton, Virginia, retired from the DEA in 2016 after a career of nearly 25 years with the agency, where he served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Financial Operations. While prosecutors have not confirmed if those shipments were ever finalized, the intention to establish financial and logistical mechanisms with the cartel is a central element in the accusation.
The charges Campo faces are multiple and serious: conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism under Title 21 of the U.S. Code, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and conspiracy to launder money.
Authorities also requested the confiscation of assets linked to the criminal scheme as part of the legal actions. Both Campo and Sensi were arrested on December 4, 2025, following coordinated raids in New York and Florida, where they resided respectively, the Department of Justice informed TNA. In their first appearance before a federal judge in Manhattan, both entered not guilty pleas and were detained without bail, in a process that promises to be closely followed by international public opinion.
The reaction of federal authorities underscores the complexity of the case and its potential impact on public trust in agencies responsible for combating drug trafficking.
The role that Alan Sensi and Campo were allegedly to play, according to the accusation, involved not only financial assistance but also logistical support for the criminal structure, a direct challenge to the anti-narcotics work that Campo once led from within the DEA.
In addition to laundering approximately $750,000 in cash through conversion to cryptocurrencies, the case documents state that Campo and Sensi facilitated a payment for the purchase of around 220 kilograms of cocaine valued at $5 million, with the expectation of obtaining a share of the profits from its distribution in U.S. territory.
According to the accusation, after his retirement, he became involved in what prosecutors describe as a plan to help, advise, and launder up to $12 million that were supposedly CJNG's profits, in addition to processing operations related to drug and arms trafficking.
The case began in late 2024 when undercover agents, using informants posing as CJNG members, began meeting with Campo and Sensi. In several of those meetings, prosecutors allege that both men discussed converting cash to cryptocurrencies, buying real estate to hide illicit money, and offered advice on fentanyl production and the acquisition of drones and military-grade weapons.
The DEA Administrator, Terrance C. Cole, stated that the involvement of a former high-level agent in criminal activities constitutes “a betrayal of the men and women who serve with integrity” and that law enforcement must respond with rigor to any attempt to undermine its mission, regardless of the past or position of those involved.
This case comes at a critical time for the DEA, which has faced a series of internal scandals in recent years, including accusations of serious crimes by other retired or active-duty agents, which raises questions about internal oversight and control measures to prevent leaks or collaborations with transnational criminal organizations.
His experience in money laundering and fighting organized crime earned him recognition in international circles, even before bodies such as INTERPOL and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Among the items mentioned in the indictment are semi-automatic rifles, high-caliber carbines, grenade launchers, and rocket-propelled grenades, which significantly aggravates the federal charges presented.
The CJNG, which is led by Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes and was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State in February 2025, is accused of controlling a significant portion of the cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl trafficking from Mexico to the U.S., as well as money laundering, extortion, and violence operations.
Each of those charges carries penalties that could collectively add up to decades in prison, including the possibility of life imprisonment.
