U.S. federal prosecutors have unsealed an indictment charging two senior leaders of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel with narco-terrorism, marking the first time such charges have been applied to members of a drug cartel.
Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, alleged leaders of the Beltrán Leyva Organization (BLO), a group connected with the Sinaloa Cartel, face charges including narco-terrorism, providing material support to terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering.
The indictment, announced Tuesday in San Diego, follows a December 2024 raid by Mexican authorities that resulted in the seizure of over 1.65 tons of fentanyl, the largest such seizure globally.
“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,” Bondi added.
The charges stem from an investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the FBI, focusing on the cartel’s alleged trafficking of large quantities of illegal drugs into the U.S. Court documents describe the father and son as operating one of the world’s most complex fentanyl production networks responsible for trafficking tens of thousands of kilograms of the drug into the U.S.
The indictment is a direct result of President Trump’s Executive Order 14157, which designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on February 20. This designation allows for the application of terrorism-related legal standards typically reserved for politically motivated groups to drug cartels.
“Operation Take Back America initiatives reflect the reality that narco-terrorists operate as a cancer within a state,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon in the Justice Department’s press release. “They metastasize violence, corruption, and fear. If left unchecked, their growth would lead to the death of law and order.”
The Beltrán Leyva Organization, once part of the larger Sinaloa Cartel, is known for its violent tactics, including shootings, kidnappings and murder. The group maintains control over drug trafficking in various parts of Central America and Mexico, including parts of the southern border between the U.S. and Mexico.