Former Senior DEA Official Indicted For Conspiring To Provide Material Support To A Foreign Terrorist Organization

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), Terrance C. Cole, announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging PAUL CAMPO and ROBERT SENSI with narcoterrorism, terrorism, narcotics distribution, and money laundering charges. CAMPO and SENSI were arrested yesterday afternoon in New York. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe.

"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," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. "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. CJNG is a violent and corrupting criminal enterprise that New Yorkers want broken. I commend the extraordinary efforts of the DEA in aggressively pursuing CJNG and those who support their deadly and corrupt efforts, no matter who they may be."

"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," said DEA Administrator Terrance C. Cole. "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."

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment:^[1]

CJNG is a Mexico-based transnational criminal group overseen by Nemesio Ruben "El Mencho" Oseguera-Cervantes that controls a significant portion of the narcotics trafficking trade. CJNG illicitly transports cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other controlled substances into the United States. CJNG also engages in money laundering and other criminal activities, including acts of violence and intimidation. On February 20, 2025, the United States Secretary of State designated CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

PAUL CAMPO worked for the DEA for approximately 25 years, first as a Special Agent in New York and eventually rising to become a high-level DEA official, specifically the Deputy Chief of the Office of Financial Operations. CAMPO retired from DEA in or about January 2016.

In late 2024, ROBERT SENSI began meeting with a confidential source working at the direction of law enforcement ("CS-1"), who was posing as a member of CJNG. SENSI told CS-1 that he had a friend who used to be in charge of DEA's financial operations who could assist CJNG by laundering narcotics proceeds and providing CS-1 with sensitive DEA information about sources and investigations.

After these initial meetings, CAMPO and SENSI together met with CS-1 on several occasions. 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 further advised CS-1 about fentanyl production and explored 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. As part of these discussions, CAMPO and SENSI often boasted about and relied heavily on CAMPO's prior federal law enforcement experience and expertise regarding financial investigations and drug cartels.

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 f------ . . . I don't want to say."

As part of the scheme, CAMPO and SENSI agreed to launder approximately $12,000,000 of CJNG narcotics proceeds; laundered approximately $750,000 by converting cash into cryptocurrency; and 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, 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.

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CAMPO, 61, of Oakton, Virginia, and SENSI, 75, of Boca Raton, Florida, are each charged with one count of conspiring to commit narcoterrorism, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison; one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to CJNG, a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and one count of conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Clayton also expressed appreciation for the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Offices for the Southern District of Florida, Eastern District of North Carolina, and Eastern District of Virginia, and the Department of Justice's National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section.

This case is being handled by the Office's Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Varun A. Gumaste is in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney James Donnelly of the Counterterrorism Section.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.