A former high-ranking Drug Enforcement Administration official and his associate are facing federal charges for allegedly conspiring to traffic drugs and help a Mexican cartel launder millions of dollars.
Paul Campo, who spent nearly 25 years with the DEA, and his friend, Robert Sensi, are charged with narcoterrorism, terrorism, narcotics distribution, and money laundering.
“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.”
Campo retired from the DEA in 2016 after serving as Deputy Chief of the Office of Financial Operations.
According to court documents, Sensi began meeting in late 2024 with a confidential source working at the direction of law enforcement. The source posed as a member of CJNG. Prosecutors say Sensi told the source he had a friend, Campos, who could help the cartel by laundering drug proceeds and providing sensitive internal DEA information.
Campo and Sensi then allegedly met with the confidential source several times, during which prosecutors allege the pair agreed to launder cash by converting it into cryptocurrency and investing in real estate. They also allegedly discussed fentanyl production and explored obtaining commercial drones, firearms, and military-style equipment for the cartel, including AR-15 rifles, M4 carbines, M16 rifles, grenade launchers and rocket-propelled grenades.
In one meeting, according to charging documents, the confidential source described using drones to deliver explosives. In another, Sensi allegedly estimated that a drone could carry about six kilograms of C-4 explosive.
Prosecutors say Campo and Sensi agreed to launder approximately $12 million in purported cartel proceeds and laundered about $750,000 by converting cash into cryptocurrency. They are also accused of facilitating payment for roughly 220 kilograms of cocaine, which prosecutors say was intended to trigger a distribution valued at about $5 million.
“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,” said Clayton.
Campo, 61, of Oakton, Virginia, and Sensi, 75, of Boca Raton, Florida, face multiple federal conspiracy charges. The narcoterrorism and cocaine distribution conspiracy counts each carry mandatory minimum sentences of 20 and 10 years and maximum sentences of life in prison. The two are also charged with 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
