DEA Informant Avoids Prison After $4M Tax Case

Longtime DEA informant Andres Zapata sentenced to time served for failing to pay taxes on undercover earnings.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 5:53pm

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An extreme close-up photograph of a stack of US dollar bills lit by a harsh, direct camera flash against a pitch-black background, conceptually illustrating the unreported earnings at the center of this case.A DEA informant's unreported earnings from undercover work expose systemic issues with how the agency manages its confidential sources.Today in Miami

A longtime DEA informant with ties to Miami-based agents has avoided prison after admitting he didn't pay taxes on nearly $4 million earned for years of undercover work. Andres Zapata was sentenced to time served after agreeing to cooperate in an investigation that has implicated several agents in misconduct.

Why it matters

This case highlights the complex relationship between law enforcement and informants, as well as the lack of oversight and accountability around how informants are compensated and their tax obligations. It raises questions about the DEA's vetting and management of informants, especially those involved in high-stakes international operations.

The details

Zapata, a professional money launderer, was paid $3.8 million from 2015 to 2020 by the DEA for his work as a confidential informant. He pleaded guilty last July to a single charge of failing to report those earnings on his tax returns. Informants are required by the DEA to report such income to the IRS, but are rarely prosecuted for failing to do so. Zapata's lawyer argued it was unusual for prosecutors to target someone who had risked their life helping U.S. law enforcement combat violent cartels for an offense they didn't even know they were committing.

  • Zapata was extradited to the U.S. last year from Colombia, where he had worked closely with former DEA agent José Irizarry.
  • Zapata was first signed up as a DEA informant in 1998 and became one of the agency's most prolific informants over the next two decades, earning more than $4.6 million.
  • Zapata was sentenced on Wednesday, April 18, 2026, to time served after agreeing to cooperate in the investigation.

The players

Andres Zapata

A longtime DEA informant with ties to Miami-based agents who traveled the world partying with rogue officers. He was paid $3.8 million from 2015 to 2020 for his work as a confidential informant.

José Irizarry

A former DEA agent serving a 12-year sentence for skimming millions of dollars from money laundering stings to fund luxury travel, expensive sports cars, and frat-house style parties. Zapata allegedly served as a go-between for payments Irizarry admitted to taking from a Colombian 'Contraband Czar'.

Diego Marin

A one-time DEA informant arrested in 2024 in Spain as part of a Colombian bribery investigation. Marin and Zapata appear in a video obtained by the AP partying with agents at a Madrid restaurant.

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What they’re saying

“I've learned my lesson.”

— Andres Zapata

“Zapata was 'very cooperative' with the government.”

— U.S. District Judge David Ezra, Judge

What’s next

The Justice Department's criminal division, which prosecuted the case, declined to comment. The DEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment, indicating the investigation into agent misconduct is ongoing.

The takeaway

This case highlights the lack of oversight and accountability around how DEA informants are compensated and their tax obligations, as well as the complex relationship between law enforcement and those they rely on for undercover work. It raises broader questions about the DEA's vetting and management of informants, especially those involved in high-stakes international operations.