The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has faced scandals involving corruption and complicity with drug trafficking from within its own ranks, according to documents obtained in 2024 by The Associated Press. These documents revealed structural corruption among DEA agents in countries where the agency maintains a presence.
In July 2024, thousands of secret law enforcement documents analyzed by the AP offered an unprecedented glimpse into a culture of corruption among agency officials, who transformed the agency’s murky money-laundering operations into a global pursuit of luxury, excessive alcohol consumption, and illicit sex.
Among the most high-profile cases that helped expose this corrupt structure is that of agent José Irizarry, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison after confessing to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2020 that he had worked with Colombian cartels to launder money. He also admitted to stealing millions in seized assets and informant payments, which he used to fund an international lifestyle of parties, lavish dinners, and encounters with sex workers.
In interviews with the AP, the former official claimed that several of his colleagues—including federal agents, prosecutors, and informants—participated in his corruption scheme. This scheme, which they dubbed “Team America,” spanned three continents. “We had free rein to do whatever we wanted,” he admitted.
Irizarry stated that his corrupt actions stemmed from the realization that the war on drugs was a farce. “You can’t win an unwinnable war. The DEA knows that, and the agents know it too…. We know we aren’t making a difference. The war on drugs is a game…. And we were playing a fun game,” reported our correspondents David Brooks and Jim Cason (https://shorturl.at/zoAbM). Collusion with Cartels
Another case involved Paul Campo, a former high-ranking DEA agent, and an associate, who were charged with criminal conspiracy to launder millions of dollars and procure firearms and explosives for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)—an organization designated by Washington as a foreign terrorist organization.
Campo, 61, a native of Virginia, retired from the agency in 2016 following a 25-year career, only to face four federal charges related to alleged narcoterrorism, terrorism, narcotics distribution, and money laundering. The same charges were brought against his associate, Robert Sensi, 75.
Both officials agreed to launder approximately $12 million for the cartel and converted about $750,000 in cash into cryptocurrency for the group, according to the indictment. They also provided payment for approximately 220 kilograms of cocaine which, they were assured, would be distributed and sold in the United States for around $5 million, with them receiving a share of the profits. Furthermore, they offered to facilitate the purchase of commercial drones and military-grade weapons for the cartel.
Documents also revealed a WhatsApp conversation in which a group of agents joked about a “world tour of debauchery”—at the expense of the government and taxpayers—during which they exchanged images of their sexual conquests and joked about “forced anal rape.” One of the agents participating in the chat was subsequently charged with that very crime in Spain.
The 2018 arrest of George Zoumberos—accused of forcing a 23-year-old woman to engage in anal sex at a hotel in Madrid—sparked significant concern at the highest levels of the DEA. The case concluded with the dismissal of the charges and a formal reprimand for the agent. Federal prosecutors—in yet another example—accused David Macey, a prominent Miami defense attorney, of orchestrating a bribery conspiracy involving two former DEA supervisors in exchange for confidential information that, according to authorities, jeopardized ongoing cases and investigators.
Another case involves Joseph Bongiovanni, who—after two decades of working with the agency—used his DEA badge to shield friends who had become drug traffickers in New York. He was sentenced to five years in prison.
In 2015, several agents from the anti-drug agency participated in “sex parties with prostitutes” paid for by members of Colombian cartels, CBS News revealed.
