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Shkruar nga Lucio Luca
A former senior official of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Paul Campo, has been indicted by federal authorities in the US, suspected of collaborating with the Mexican Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) cartel.
The charges were made public on Friday, while Campo, with nearly 25 years of service in the DEA, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty, but was remanded in custody.
According to prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, Campo and his associate, Robert Sensi, allegedly converted cash into cryptocurrencies to buy 220 kilograms of cocaine worth $5 million, as well as to launder $750,000 from drug sales on behalf of the CJNG, an organization that the State Department designated as a foreign terrorist group this year.
In total, the two men allegedly agreed to launder at least $12 million for the cartel.
Investigators point out that Campo and Sensi met several times with a confidential government source, who had infiltrated by posing as a cartel representative.
During a meeting in New York, Campo even showed off his old DEA badge, claiming to "help clients recover their money."
In a subsequent operation, the confidential source asked them to participate in a large drug deal. Campo and Sensi transferred over $200,000 in cryptocurrency to a wallet they thought belonged to the seller, but which was actually controlled by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Both suspects are facing charges of drug trafficking conspiracy, narco-terrorism, providing material support to the CJNG and money laundering. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing.
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