A former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent known for his lavish lifestyle was arrested Friday on charges of conspiring to launder money for the same Colombian drug cartel he was supposed to be investigating.
Authorities arrested Jose Irizarry and his wife at their home near San Juan, Puerto Rico. Federal prosecutors say in a 19-count indictment that the 49-year-old used “his position and his special access to information” to launder millions in drug profits.
“It’s a black eye for the DEA to have one of its own engaged in such a high level of corruption,” said Mike Vigil, the DEA’s former chief of international operations. “He jeopardized investigations. He jeopardized other agents and he jeopardized informants.”
Irizarry had been a model agent after joining the DEA in Miami in 2009. He was entrusted with an undercover money-laundering operation using front companies, shell bank accounts and couriers. Irizarry resigned in January 2018 after being reassigned to Washington when his boss in Colombia became suspicious.