The U.S. DEA quietly removed its top official in Mexico last year over improper contact with lawyers for narcotraffickers, an embarrassing end to a tenure marked by a record flow of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl across the border.
Nicholas Palmeri’s socializing and vacationing with Miami drug lawyers, detailed in confidential records viewed by The Associated Press, brought his ultimate downfall following just a 14-month stint as DEA’s powerful regional director supervising dozens of agents across Mexico, Central America and Canada.
One of those attorneys, identified by current and former U.S. officials as David Macey, was also implicated in the probe into Palmeri. Internal investigative records show Macey hosted Palmeri and his Mexican-born wife for two days at his home in the Florida Keys — a trip that investigators said served no useful work purpose and violated rules governing interactions with attorneys that are designed to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.
The DEA wouldn’t discuss the specifics of Palmeri’s ouster or why he was allowed to retire instead of being fired. But an official told the AP the agency “has zero tolerance for improper contacts between defense attorneys and DEA employees.”“The DEA aggressively investigates this serious misconduct and takes decisive action, including removal, against employees who engage in it,” said the official, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly and asked not to be named.
Macey did not respond to requests for comment. Oliva told AP the the translation work Palmeri’s wife did for him was “totally unrelated” to Palmeri and that he’s “never met a more ethical, hard-working and highly effective drug enforcement agent.”A former New York City police officer, Palmeri raised eyebrows from the moment he arrived in Mexico in 2020.
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