Sinaloa Cartel Leaders Charged With Narco-Terrorism in Landmark U.S. Indictment

Two top leaders of a powerful Sinaloa Cartel faction are facing unprecedented narco-terrorism charges, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday, as part of a sweeping crackdown on drug trafficking networks accused of flooding the United States with deadly fentanyl, as per Fox News.

Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, were indicted in federal court on charges including narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, and providing material support to terrorism. The indictment names them as key players in the Beltrán Leyva Organization (BLO), a notorious faction within the broader Sinaloa Cartel.

Five additional BLO leaders were charged with drug trafficking and money laundering offenses. The charges were unveiled after the Trump administration officially designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on February 20.

“This marks the first indictment brought by the Department of Justice’s newly established Narco-Terrorism Unit,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California during a Tuesday press briefing. “Let me be direct: To the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel — you are no longer the hunters. You are the hunted.”

According to court documents, the father-and-son duo led one of the most expansive and technologically advanced fentanyl production operations in the world, responsible for trafficking tens of thousands of kilograms of the synthetic opioid into the U.S.

Federal prosecutors allege that the Inzunzas worked closely to manufacture and “aggressively traffic” fentanyl, contributing significantly to the U.S. overdose crisis.

In a major blow to the cartel’s operations, Mexican law enforcement seized over 1.65 tons of fentanyl during coordinated raids on cartel-controlled sites in Sinaloa on December 3, 2024. Photos released by the Department of Justice show rainbow-colored fentanyl pills and bricks stamped with luxury brand logos such as “Louis Vuitton” and “Rolls Royce.”

The indictment also lists several high-profile cartel figures as co-defendants or pending charges, including:

• Fausto Isidro Meza Flores
• Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe
• Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar
• Ismael Zambada Sicairos
• Jose Gil Caro Quintero

All individuals, including Noriega and Coronel, remain fugitives.

Authorities also displayed images of recent drug seizures linked to the group, including 1,680 kilograms of cocaine and 1,500 kilograms of fentanyl, as evidence of the scale of their operations.

The announcement underscores a significant escalation in the U.S. government’s approach to drug cartels, framing their activities not just as organized crime but as acts of terrorism.

“You will be betrayed by your friends. You will be hounded by your enemies,” Gordon warned the cartel leaders. “And you will ultimately find yourself and your face here in a courtroom in the Southern District of California.”