Sinaloa cartel leaders charged with narco-terrorism, material support of terrorism and drug trafficking in ICE, FBI investigation

SAN DIEGO - An indictment unsealed May 13 is the first in the nation to charge alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel with narco-terrorism and material support of terrorism in connection with trafficking massive amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin into the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the FBI are investigating this case.

"These charges highlight the unwavering efforts of transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel to flood our communities with deadly drugs," said ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Diego Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson. "HSI and our law enforcement partners will not allow cartel-driven drug trafficking to threaten the safety and stability of our neighborhoods. We are all lasered focused on a unified effort to dismantling these networks and their factions in bringing those responsible to justice."

Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, are charged with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering as key leaders of the Beltran Leyva Organization, a powerful and violent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel that is believed to be the world's largest known fentanyl production network. Five other BLO leaders are charged with drug trafficking and money laundering. The indictment is a direct result of President Trump's Executive Order 14157 which designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and the Secretary of State's subsequent designation of the same on February 20, 2025.

"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."

"Operation Take Back America initiatives reflect the reality that narco-terrorists operate as a cancer within a state," said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. "They metastasize violence, corruption and fear. If left unchecked, their growth would lead to the death of law and order. This indictment is what justice looks like when the full measure of the Department of Justice along with its law enforcement partners is brought to bear against the Sinaloa Cartel."

"BLO, under the leadership of Inzunza Noriega, is allegedly responsible for some of the largest-ever drug seizures of fentanyl and cocaine destined for the United States," said FBI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge Houtan Moshrefi. "Their drugs not only destroy lives and communities, but also threaten our national security. The law enforcement efforts against the Noriegas reaffirms our commitment to dismantling and disrupting this very dangerous narco-terrorist group and combating narco-trafficking."

According to court documents, since its inception the Beltran Leyva faction has been considered one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations to operate in Mexico, engaging in shootouts, murders, kidnappings, torture and violent collection of drug debts to sustain its operations. The Beltran Leyva faction 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.

Pedro Inzunza Noriega works closely with his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, to produce and aggressively traffic fentanyl to the United States, the government has alleged. Court documents indicate that together the father and son lead one of the largest and most sophisticated fentanyl production networks in the world. Over the past several years, they have trafficked tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl into the United States. On December 3, 2024, Mexican law enforcement raided multiple locations in Sinaloa that are controlled and managed by the father and son and seized 1,500 kilograms (more than 1.65 tons) of fentanyl - the largest seizure of fentanyl in the world.

These indictments follow a notable tradition in the Southern District of California for targeting leadership and operations of powerful Mexican cartels - from the dismantling of the Arellano Felix Cartel to major strikes against today's most dangerous, powerful and violent cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel and now the Beltran Leyva Organization. It is the first indictment from the newly formed Narco-Terrorism Unit which was established upon the swearing in of U.S. Attorney Gordon on April 11, 2025.

The indictment of Pedro Inzunza Noriega reflects the Southern District of California's pursuit of the Sinaloa Cartel. Federal drug trafficking indictments are pending against all alleged leaders of its Beltran Leyva faction, including:

• Fausto Isidro Meza Flores aka "Chapo Isidro," case number: 19-CR-1272 in the Southern District of California and 12-116BAH in the District of Columbia
• Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe aka "El Musico," case number 19-CR-3736 in the Southern District of California; 09-CR-00672 in the Northern District of Illinois; 15-CR-00195 in the District of Columbia, and
• Pedro Inzunza Noriega aka "Sagitario," case number 25cr1505.

The Southern District of California also has indictments pending against other leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, including:

• Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar aka "El Chapito," case number 14-cr-00658 in the Southern District of California and 09-CR-383 in the Northern District of Illinois
• Ismael Zambada Sicairos aka "Mayito Flaco," case number: 14-cr-00658 in the Southern District of California; and
• Jose Gil Caro Quintero aka "El Chino," case number 22-cr-00036 in the District of Columbia

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Mellor and Matthew Sutton.

Defendants for Case Number 25cr1505

Summary of Charges

• Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 960a and 841 - Narco-Terrorism
  Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 20 years in prison; $20 million fine
• Title 18, U.S.C. Sec. 2339B - Providing Material Support to Terrorism
  Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
• Title 21, U.S.C., Sec. 848(a) -Continuing Criminal Enterprise
  Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 20 years; $10 million fine
• Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 952, 959, 960, and 963 - International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances
  Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 10 years; $10 million fine
• Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 841(a)(1) and 846 - Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances
  Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 10 years in prison; $10 million fine
• Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 952, 960 and 963 - Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances
  Maximum penalty: Life in prison, mandatory minimum 10 years; $10 million fine
• Money Laundering Conspiracy - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h)
  Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved

The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.