A former senior Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official who served during the Obama administration has been indicted in New York on charges alleging he conspired to provide material support, launder drug proceeds, and facilitate cocaine trafficking for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a Mexican criminal organization designated earlier this year as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Paul Campo, 61, the former Deputy Chief of the DEA’s Office of Financial Operations, and his associate, Robert Sensi, 75, were arrested Thursday. The two men are charged with narcoterrorism conspiracy, narcotics trafficking conspiracy, material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and money laundering conspiracy.
The indictment was unsealed Friday in the Southern District of New York.
Prosecutors: Campo Agreed To Launder Millions
According to the DOJ, Campo and Sensi “agreed to launder approximately $12,000,000 of CJNG narcotics proceeds,” and “laundered approximately $750,000 by converting cash into cryptocurrency.”
Federal agents say the defendants also “provided a payment for approximately 220 kilograms of cocaine on the understanding that the payment would trigger the distribution and sale of the narcotics worth approximately $5,000,000.”
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said:
“As alleged, Paul Campo and Robert Sensi conspired to assist CJNG, one of the most notorious Mexican cartels that is responsible for countless deaths through violence and drug trafficking in the United States and Mexico. As part of that support, the defendants laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars they believed to be CJNG drug proceeds, agreed to launder millions more, and even agreed to use their financial expertise to facilitate cocaine trafficking right here in New York City. By participating in this scheme, Campo betrayed the mission he was entrusted with pursuing for his 25-year career with the DEA.”
Clayton added:
“CJNG is a violent and corrupting criminal enterprise that New Yorkers want broken.”
Alleged Discussions of Drones, Explosives, and Weapons
According to the indictment, Campo and Sensi met repeatedly with a confidential source posing as a CJNG member. Prosecutors say the men discussed fentanyl production, money-laundering methods, and potential procurement of weapons and equipment for the cartel, including:
- AR-15 rifles
- M4 carbines
- M16 rifles
- Grenade launchers
- Rocket-propelled grenades
- Commercial drones
In one recorded conversation, prosecutors say the confidential source described placing explosives on drones, stating: “what we do with the drones, we put explosives and we just send it over there, boom.”
In another exchange, the source asked Sensi how much C-4 a drone could carry. According to the indictment, Sensi responded that it could carry “approximately six kilograms,” which he said was enough to “blow up the whole f—— . . . I don’t want to say.”
DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole said:
“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. The alleged conduct occurred after he left DEA and was unrelated to his official duties here, but any former agent who chooses to engage in criminal activity dishonors the men and women who serve with integrity and undermines the public’s confidence in law enforcement. We will not look the other way simply because someone once wore this badge. There is no tolerance and no excuse for this kind of betrayal.”
Charges and Sentencing
Campo and Sensi each face:
- One count of conspiring to commit narcoterrorism (20-year mandatory minimum, up to life)
- One count of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine (10-year mandatory minimum, up to life)
- One count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization (up to 20 years)
- One count of conspiring to commit money laundering (up to 20 years)
The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
SDNY Context: DX Exclusive Narco-Terrorism Letter Earlier This Week
The indictment comes days after The Dallas Express published an exclusive letter from Hugo Carvajal Barrios, the former Venezuelan Director of Military Intelligence, who pleaded guilty earlier this year in SDNY to a federal narco-terrorism conspiracy.
In that letter — which he provided to DX through attorney Robert Feitel — Carvajal wrote:
“Today, I sit in an American prison because I voluntarily plead guilty to the crimes charged against me: a narco-terrorism conspiracy.”
He alleged:
“The purpose of this organization, now known as the Cartel of the Suns is to weaponize drugs against the United States.”
He described “criminal gangs” exported abroad, claiming:
“Tren de Aragua became the most effective and fastest growing.”
He also wrote:
“Smartmatic was born as an electoral tool of the Venezuelan regime… The Smartmatic system can be altered — this is a fact.”
Carvajal stated he remains willing to provide additional details to U.S. authorities.
The Campo case and Carvajal case are not connected, but both are being handled in SDNY and both involve federal narco-terrorism prosecutions.
Federal Pressure on Cartels Continues: Another Major Case This Week
The Campo indictment also follows another major cartel development this week: the guilty plea of Joaquin Guzmán López, one of the “Chapitos” and a son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
According to the DOJ, Guzmán López admitted to trafficking:
- “more than 36 kilograms of fentanyl,”
- “90 kilograms of heroin,”
- “450 kilograms of cocaine,”
- “45 kilograms of methamphetamine,”
- and “90,000 kilograms of marijuana”
into the United States.
He agreed to forfeit $80 million.
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said:
“Under the Chapitos’ leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel has fueled the deadliest drug crisis in our nation’s history, manufacturing poison and profiting from the destruction of American lives.”
That case, like Campo’s, underscores federal efforts targeting the leadership, infrastructure, and financial networks of major transnational drug organizations.
Developing Story
The Dallas Express will continue to report updates as they become available.
