Mexican security forces have captured Pedro Inzunza Noriega in Sinaloa state, the first cartel figure charged under US narcoterrorism laws, government sources confirmed Wednesday. Inzunza Noriega is accused of directing a large-scale drug smuggling operation and is facing terrorism-related charges in the United States.
Washington indicted Inzunza Noriega in May, alleging that he oversaw the movement of fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin across the US-Mexico border. Prosecutors say he held a senior position in the Beltran Leyva Organisation, a group that originated as a faction of the Sinaloa cartel but has since largely disbanded. The indictment represents the first time US authorities have applied terrorism statutes to a cartel figure.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the charges reflect a new legal strategy targeting Mexican trafficking organisations and that prosecutors would seek maximum sentences for those involved. The May indictment followed an executive order from former President Donald Trump designating the Sinaloa cartel as a foreign terrorist entity. The US State Department adopted this designation in February, and the Trump administration has also classified fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.
Authorities allege Inzunza Noriega collaborated with his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, to manufacture and distribute synthetic opioids on an industrial scale, moving thousands of kilograms into the United States over several years. Mexican forces carried out raids on multiple properties in December 2024, seizing roughly 1,650 kilograms of fentanyl, which officials described as the largest single recovery of the drug recorded worldwide.
Naval forces killed Inzunza Coronel during operations in Sinaloa in November after encountering armed resistance. Two other suspects were captured during the clash. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed that personnel faced heavy fire during the searches.
Trump has pressed Mexico to expand counter-narcotics operations since taking office last year, warning that insufficient cooperation could result in trade penalties. In addition to Inzunza Noriega, five other figures linked to the Beltran Leyva Organisation are facing prosecution in the same case for trafficking and financial crimes.
US prosecutors have described the organisation as using extreme violence, including killings, abductions, and coercion, to maintain control over smuggling routes and territories across Mexico. The Beltran Leyva Organisation has been implicated in numerous high-profile drug operations, and the capture of Inzunza Noriega marks a significant development in the US-Mexico collaboration on counter-narcotics and anti-terrorism enforcement.
Authorities said Inzunza Noriega was detained without incident, and he is expected to be transferred for legal proceedings in the United States, highlighting the growing use of terrorism statutes in tackling organised crime linked to Mexican cartels.
