AUSTIN, Texas — A Colombian national who served as a Drug Enforcement Administration informant for over two decades escaped prison time this week despite admitting he never paid taxes on almost $4 million in government payments.
Andres Zapata, 48, received a sentence of time served Wednesday in an Austin federal court after agreeing to assist in an extensive corruption probe that has ensnared multiple DEA agents, according to two sources familiar with the ongoing investigation who spoke anonymously to the Associated Press.
Authorities extradited Zapata from Colombia last year, where he had maintained close ties with José Irizarry, a disgraced former DEA agent now serving 12 years in prison for stealing millions from money laundering operations to bankroll lavish trips, high-end vehicles and wild parties.
Court documents reveal the DEA compensated Zapata $3.8 million between 2015 and 2020 for his services as a confidential source. The professional money launderer entered a guilty plea last July to one count of tax evasion. While DEA policy requires informants to declare such payments to the Internal Revenue Service, prosecutions for non-compliance are uncommon.
Neither the Justice Department’s criminal division, which handled the prosecution, nor the DEA provided statements when contacted for comment.
Defense attorney Don Bailey contended during the sentencing that pursuing someone who endangered his life assisting American law enforcement against dangerous cartels for a violation he was unaware of committing was unprecedented.
Bailey explained that Zapata and similar informants “don’t get 1099s or W-9s,” referencing standard tax forms for independent contractors. “You don’t know what you owe. You sign a piece of paper for money. You don’t get receipts.”
During the proceedings, Zapata expressed his desire to rebuild his life after spending more than a year in harsh conditions at a Medellin-area detention facility while awaiting extradition.
“I’ve learned my lesson,” Zapata stated, according to court transcripts.
U.S. District Judge David Ezra praised Zapata’s cooperation with federal authorities during the hearing. The judge rejected an Associated Press motion to make sentencing documents public. Along with the time-served ruling, Ezra mandated Zapata pay $1.2 million in restitution to cover the government’s tax losses.
DEA internal documents obtained by the AP reveal Zapata’s recruitment as an informant began in 1998, when the agency enlisted the former vacuum cleaner salesman after his brother-in-law faced drug trafficking charges.
Throughout the following twenty years, he emerged as one of the agency’s most productive sources, facilitating undercover cash collections and supporting investigations spanning from Peru to Los Angeles, accumulating over $4.6 million in DEA payments.
However, Zapata provided more than intelligence gathering services.
Using his DEA assignment as cover, the dual Colombian-American citizen traveled internationally with agents and Miami-based prosecutors in what Irizarry characterized as a “world debauchery tour” that violated strict regulations against inappropriate relationships with informants.
A confidential WhatsApp group chat used by agents to document their international escapades reveals Zapata’s involvement in arranging prostitutes and assisting what Irizarry dubbed “Team America” in avoiding consequences. During a 2018 Madrid assignment, Zapata was present when an agent was temporarily held and accused of sexual assault while drinking.
Irizarry informed investigators that Zapata shared portions of his informant payments as kickbacks. He described one incident where Zapata arrived at his Colombian residence carrying $40,000 in cash, which Irizarry used to buy his wife a Tiffany ring.
Zapata allegedly also facilitated payments that Irizarry acknowledged receiving from Diego Marin, Colombia’s “Contraband Czar” — a former DEA informant apprehended in Spain in 2024 during a Colombian corruption investigation. Video footage obtained by the AP shows Marin and Zapata celebrating with agents at a Madrid establishment.
