In a stunning fall from grace, Paul Campo, a 25-year veteran of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) who once oversaw the agency’s financial operations, has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly conspiring to launder millions in drug money for the brutal Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a Mexican trafficking powerhouse recently branded a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
The charges, unsealed Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, accuse Campo, 61, of Oakton, Virginia, and his associate Robert Sensi, 75, of Boca Raton, Florida, of turning their expertise against the very system they once served. The duo was arrested Thursday afternoon in New York, marking a dramatic end to a covert sting operation that exposed their willingness to aid one of the world’s most violent criminal enterprises.
According to the indictment, the plot began unfolding in late 2024 when Sensi connected with a confidential informant posing as a CJNG operative. Sensi quickly boasted about his friend Campo, the former deputy chief of the DEA’s Office of Financial Operations, who could leverage his insider knowledge to clean dirty money and even share tips on evading law enforcement. Campo, who retired from the DEA in January 2016 and now runs a private consulting firm, soon joined the meetings, where the pair eagerly pitched their services.
Prosecutors allege that Campo and Sensi agreed to launder up to $12 million in CJNG narcotics proceeds, starting by converting about $750,000 in cash into cryptocurrency. Their scheme extended far beyond financial sleight-of-hand: They reportedly facilitated a $5 million payment for 220 kilograms of cocaine, expecting a cut of the profits from its street-level distribution in New York City. In brazen discussions, the men also explored sourcing military-grade weaponry for the cartel, including AR-15 rifles, M4 carbines, M16s, grenade launchers, and even rocket-propelled grenades, as well as commercial drones rigged with C-4 explosives capable of carrying up to six kilograms of payload, enough to “blow up the whole f——” operation, as Sensi crudely put it.
CJNG, led by the elusive kingpin Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, dominates the flow of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the U.S., fueling addiction and violence on both sides of the border. Designated a terrorist group in February 2025, the cartel has a notorious reputation for bribery, intimidation, and massacres. Campo and Sensi’s alleged involvement strikes at the heart of U.S. counter-narcotics efforts, with the duo reportedly flaunting Campo’s DEA background to build trust and offer advice on fentanyl production and cartel countermeasures. “This is a betrayal of the worst kind,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “Paul Campo and Robert Sensi conspired to prop up CJNG, a cartel responsible for countless deaths through violence and drugs, by laundering their blood money and enabling more trafficking right here in New York.”
DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that “any former agent who chooses criminality dishonors the badge and erodes public trust. There is no tolerance for this betrayal.” The men face a litany of severe charges: conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism (mandatory minimum 20 years, life maximum); conspiracy to distribute and possess cocaine with intent to distribute (mandatory minimum 10 years, life maximum); conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization (up to 20 years); and conspiracy to commit money laundering (up to 20 years). If convicted, they could spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
The case, assigned to Judge Paul G. Gardephe, was spearheaded by the Southern District of New York’s Narcotics Unit, with support from the DOJ’s Counterterrorism Section and U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. As the investigation continues, it serves as a stark reminder that the line between hunter and hunted can blur dangerously, even for those sworn to uphold the law. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
