DOJ Charges High-Ranking Sinaloa Cartel Suspects With ‘Narco-Terrorism'
Federal authorities have charged alleged leaders of the Sinaloa cartel's Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO) with narco-terrorism, terrorism support, and international drug trafficking in what officials called a first-of-its-kind indictment targeting the cartel's role in fueling the U.S. fentanyl crisis.
Sinaloa BLO is a powerful and violent faction of the Sinaloa cartel that is believed to be the world's largest known fentanyl production network, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
'The Sinaloa Cartel is a complex, dangerous terrorist organization and dismantling them demands a novel, powerful legal response,' said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. 'Their days of brutalizing the American people without consequence are over—we will seek life in prison for these terrorists.'
The indictment follows President Donald Trump's Executive Order
The new charges mark the first time BLO leaders have been prosecuted under narco-terrorism and terrorism statutes tied to fentanyl trafficking, according to DOJ.
Pedro Inzunza Noriega, 62, and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, 33, are accused of leading the large-scale fentanyl production and trafficking operations, according to the indictment unsealed on May 13. They face life in prison if convicted on the narco-terrorism charge alone.
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Officials allege the father-son duo worked closely to manufacture and ship tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin into the United States. A December 2024 raid on cartel-controlled sites in Sinaloa uncovered 1,500 kilograms of fentanyl—described by the DOJ as the largest single seizure of the drug in the world.
'Their drugs not only destroy lives and communities, but also threaten our national security,' said FBI acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi.
Five other BLO leaders were also indicted in the case, which includes charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and operating a continuing criminal enterprise. The group has allegedly carried out widespread violence in Mexico, including murders, kidnappings, and torture, to enforce control over drug routes and debt collection.
The DOJ says the BLO faction is responsible for 'shootouts, murders, kidnappings, torture and violent collection of drug debts to sustain its operations' and 'controls numerous territories and plazas throughout Mexico—including Tijuana—and operates with violent impunity, trafficking in deadly drugs, threatening communities, and targeting key officials, all while making millions of dollars from their criminal activities.'
The indictment is the first brought by a newly formed narco-terrorism unit under the Southern District of California. Other major BLO and Sinaloa cartel leaders—including Fausto Isidro Meza Flores ('Chapo Isidro') and Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar ('El Chapito')—also face pending federal charges in related cases.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, with support from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and Operation Take Back America, a DOJ initiative to dismantle transnational cartels and criminal networks.
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