A federal case unfolding in New York is shining a harsh spotlight on two longtime associates who prosecutors say crossed a line few in law enforcement ever imagine.
According to The Associated Press, the Justice Department has charged a retired Drug Enforcement Administration supervisor and a Florida businessman with conspiring to assist a violent Mexican cartel by laundering millions of dollars and exploring ways to acquire military-grade weapons.
The indictment, unsealed Friday, names 61-year-old Paul Campo of Oakton, Virginia, a former DEA agent who spent 25 years with the agency before retiring in 2016, and 75-year-old Robert Sensi of Boca Raton, Florida.
Prosecutors say the two men fell into a lengthy sting operation involving a confidential informant posing as a representative of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
The cartel, known as CJNG, was formally designated a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said Campo’s alleged conduct represented a stark betrayal of his former public-safety role, describing the cartel as responsible for “countless deaths through violence and drug trafficking in the United States and Mexico.”
Both Campo and Sensi appeared in federal court on Friday, where a magistrate judge ordered them held without bail. Attorneys for both men entered not guilty pleas.
Campo’s lawyer, Mark Gombiner, said the charges were “somewhat sensationalized and somewhat incoherent,” insisting the pair never agreed to help the cartel obtain weapons.
Prosecutors allege that over the past year, Campo and Sensi agreed to launder roughly $12 million in what they believed were cartel proceeds. About $750,000 in cash was allegedly converted to cryptocurrency, with the defendants thinking the funds were destined for the cartel, though the money was under government control.
The indictment also states the men provided payment for approximately 220 kilograms of cocaine they were told would be sold in the U.S. for about $5 million, expecting a share of the profits.
In recorded conversations, the two allegedly discussed the possibility of acquiring commercial drones, AR-15s, M4 carbines, grenade launchers, and even rocket-propelled grenades.
Campo allegedly touted his DEA background to the informant and suggested he could serve as a “strategist” for the cartel. Prosecutors say he began his agency career in New York and eventually became deputy chief of financial operations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Varun Gumaste told the court that the evidence includes extensive audio recordings, emails, surveillance images, and cellphone data.
Sensi’s attorney, Amanda Kramer, argued unsuccessfully for pre-trial release, citing her client’s health issues, including early-stage dementia, diabetes, and injuries from a recent fall.
Prosecutors noted that Sensi has past convictions from the late 1980s and early 1990s for fraud and theft of $2.5 million, and evidence shows he had previously been involved in an effort to procure military-grade helicopters for a foreign nation.
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said the allegations against Campo, although he is no longer with the agency, damage public trust.
The DEA has faced several internal scandals over the last decade, prompting reforms starting in 2021 that imposed stricter controls on undercover funds and harsher discipline for misconduct.
Campo and Sensi now face four conspiracy counts tied to narcoterrorism, terrorism, narcotics distribution, and money laundering. Their case is expected to move forward in the coming months as prosecutors continue building out the extensive sting that led to the charges.
