Former DEA Official Indicted
In a staggering turn of events that reads like the plot of a narco-thriller, a former top DEA official — once entrusted with safeguarding America from the very drug empires he’s now accused of aiding — has been indicted on a raft of federal charges, including conspiracy to engage in narcoterrorism and laundering millions for one of Mexico’s most violent cartels.
Paul Campo, who served as Deputy Chief of the Office of Financial Operations at the Drug Enforcement Administration, now faces potential life in prison for allegedly offering his expertise to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) — a group long considered one of the most dangerous and sophisticated criminal organizations in the Western Hemisphere.
The announcement, dropped late Friday evening by DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole and U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton of the Southern District of New York, revealed an operation laced with betrayal, calculated deception, and chilling proximity to power. Campo, alongside associate Robert Sensi, is accused of conspiring to launder $12 million in drug proceeds, advising cartel members on how to funnel funds through cryptocurrency, real estate, and even pre-paid gift cards.
“As alleged, a former DEA official betrayed the public trust and aided CJNG—a cartel tied to extreme violence—by conspiring to launder money and support cocaine trafficking in New York City,” said USA Jay Clayton. https://t.co/m1226ARzhT
— US Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) December 5, 2025
But it doesn’t end with money. According to the indictment, Campo went even further, advising CJNG on acquiring drones and assault rifles — the kind of hardware that fuels cartel warfare, claiming thousands of lives across Mexico and increasingly threatening American communities near the border.
Ironically, the “cartel representative” Campo believed he was helping was in fact a confidential informant, carefully orchestrating the sting operation at the behest of law enforcement.
DEA Administrator Cole did not mince words: “There is no tolerance and no excuse for this kind of betrayal.” His message underscores just how corrosive this alleged double-dealing is to public trust. After 25 years in an agency battling cartels and traffickers, Campo’s alleged pivot to the other side is more than just criminal — it’s deeply symbolic of the dangers of post-government corruption.
U.S. Attorney Clayton echoed the sentiment, framing the charges as a direct betrayal not only of the agency’s mission, but of every agent who risks their life in the fight against organized crime. “CJNG is a violent and corrupting criminal enterprise,” he said, vowing continued pursuit of justice, regardless of the accused’s former title or badge.
Campo and Sensi allegedly facilitated three transactions totaling $750,000, with expectations that their services would culminate in a $5 million cocaine shipment, which would, in turn, generate even more illicit profit.
All of this, after Campo had supposedly retired from government service. But as the charges indicate, retirement didn’t mean disengagement — it meant exploitation of his knowledge, connections, and the institutional trust once placed in him.