On Tuesday, two leaders of the Sinaloa cartel were charged with narcoterrorism due to their involvement in allegedly trafficking large quantities of drugs into the U.S., according to federal officials.
Pedro Insunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Insunza Coronel, were named in an unsealed federal complaint. They face serious charges, including narcoterrorism, providing material support for terrorism, drug trafficking, and money laundering, as part of the Bertrand Leiva organization (BLO).
Additionally, five other leaders associated with the BLO have been charged with drug trafficking and money laundering.
This legal action follows the designation of the Sinaloa Cartel as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration on February 20.
Prosecutors claimed that Noriega collaborated with his son to document the “active transport” of fentanyl into the U.S.
The authorities asserted that the duo led one of the largest and most complex fentanyl production networks globally, trafficking “tens of thousands of kilograms” of fentanyl.
Tuesday’s indictment marks the first of its kind from the newly established narcoterrorist task force of the Department of Justice, according to federal prosecutors.
On December 3, 2024, Mexican law enforcement raided several properties tied to them in Sinaloa, confiscating over 1.65 tons of fentanyl.
Charges are also pending against other members of the BLO and the Sinaloa cartel, including Fausto Isidro Meza Flores and Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, among others.
Not just Noriega and Coronel, but all accused individuals remain at large.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Adam Gordon, a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, delivered a stark warning to the Sinaloa cartel leaders, stating, “You are no longer the hunter. You are the hunted.” He suggested they could expect betrayal from friends and relentless pursuit from enemies.
