A former Drug Enforcement Administration agent, who at one time helped oversee the agency's financial operations, is facing federal charges of allegedly agreeing to launder millions of dollars for the Mexican Jalisco New Generation Cartel, along with other offenses, according to an indictment unsealed on Friday by the Federal District Court in Manhattan.
The retired agent, Paul Campo, is accused of laundering about $750,000 for the cartel by converting cash into cryptocurrency and agreeing to launder even more money, a total of $12 million, reports The New York Times.
The indictment also alleges that Campo, who worked for the DEA for about 25 years, provided payment for about 220 kilograms of cocaine, with the understanding that the drugs were imported into the United States.
He is facing charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Campo started his career with the DEA as a special agent in New York, eventually rising to be the deputy chief of the Office of Financial Operations.
Retiring in January 2016, he now runs a private consulting business, the indictment states.
The State Department has designated the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.
It maintains its drug trade operations through violence and by bribing corrupt officials, the federal indictment states.
Robert Sensi, described as an associate of Campo's, was also charged in the indictment.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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