Exclusive: Turmoil in one of the most important Drug Enforcement Administration’s Mexico offices was an embarrassing distraction as agents tried to work with counterparts to deter drug trafficking.
MEXICO CITY — As illegal fentanyl was surging across the U.S. southwestern border, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Mexico office was in turmoil for more than six months with a director recalled to Washington while investigators probed his conduct, according to current and former U.S. officials.The investigation, which has not been previously reported, came at a critical time.
He said the investigation into his spending “was used as part of an ill-conceived narrative to remove me from my position” due to an internal feud at the agency. who pleaded guilty in 2020 to diverting more than $9 million from undercover operations to fund pricey sports cars, luxury travel and parties.Palmeri, a onetime New York City police officer who had worked at the DEA office in Guadalajara, Mexico, and later held a senior role in the agency’s New York office, was known as a talented investigator. He started as regional director in Mexico City in early 2020.
In the report summary released Wednesday, the inspector general’s office said the regional director had used DEA funds intended for professional gatherings for an inappropriate activity: his own birthday party. The director also approved payment for “unallowable items” during trips by the DEA’s top official, the office said, dipping into funds that were supposed to be used for sensitive drug investigations. It did not describe the items.
Palmeri said he never engaged in any unethical behavior. “I strongly deny improper contact with defense attorneys,” he told The Post. He blamed the investigation on a “personal vendetta” by another DEA official, whom he declined to identify. He said the probe had concluded with a recommendation that “I be terminated.”As for the inspector general’s report, he said, items were “taken out of context.” His expenditures on activities with Mexican officials “were professional” and benefited the U.S.
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