6. José Gil Caro Quintero, alias "El Pelo Chino," case number 22-cr-00036, in the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. Alleged leader of the Caborca Cartel in Sonora, and nephew of Sinaloa drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, alias "El Príncipe."
This information was released the same day in a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California—which includes San Diego and Imperial counties—of the DOJ, which filed, on May 13, 2025, the first formal indictment for "narcoterrorism and material support for terrorism in connection with the trafficking of massive quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin into the United States" against Pedro Inzunza Noriega, aka "Sagitario," "120," and/or "El De La Silla," a 62-year-old former leader of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel, and his son, Pedro Izunza Coronel, aka "Pichón" and/or "Pájaro," a 33-year-old native of Los Mochis, Sinaloa.
The latter is believed to be one of the current leaders of the Sinaloa criminal organization, along with Óscar Manuel Gastélum Iribe, alias "El Músico," and Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, alias "El Chapo Isidro," a former trusted agent of Arturo Beltrán Leyva, alias "El Barbas," and also the alleged leader of "Los Mazatlecos."
Furthermore, the indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California includes the following defendants, under case number 25cr1505: David Alejandro Heredia Velazquez, alias "Tano" or "Mr. Jordan," originally from Culiacán de Rosales. In addition to Óscar René González Menéndez, alias "Rubio," from Guatemala; Elías Alberto Quirós Benavides, from Costa Rica; Daniel Eduardo Bojorquez, alias “Chopper,” from Sonora; and Javier Alonso Vázquez Sánchez, alias “Tito” or “Drilo,” from Los Mochis.
“They are described as leaders of one of the world’s largest and most sophisticated fentanyl production networks on behalf of the Beltrán Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said Adam Gordon, head of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, during a press conference held in San Diego.
“Since its inception, the Beltrán Leyva organization has been considered one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, engaging in shootouts, murders, kidnappings, torture, and the harvesting of drug kills to sustain their operation,” the U.S. federal official added.
“Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, are charged with drug trafficking, narcotics trafficking, and money laundering as leaders.” "The Beltrán Leyva Organization (BLO), a powerful and violent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, considered the largest fentanyl production network in the world," the DOJ said in a statement.
"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 subsequent designation of the same by the Secretary of State on February 20, 2025," the U.S. government detailed.
"The Sinaloa Cartel is a complex and dangerous terrorist organization, and dismantling it requires an innovative and decisive legal response. Its days of brutalizing the American people without consequences are over; We will seek life sentences for these terrorists,” said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, quoted in the statement.
“The initiatives of Operation Take Back America reflect the reality that narco-terrorists operate like a cancer within a state. They spread violence, corruption, and fear. Left unchecked, their growth would lead to the destruction of public order. This indictment reflects justice when the Department of Justice, along with its law enforcement partners, brings its full influence to bear against the Sinaloa Cartel,” said U.S. Attorney Gordon.
“These charges highlight the tireless efforts of transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel to flood our communities with lethal drugs,” said Shawn Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego.
“The BLO, under the leadership of Inzunza Noriega, is allegedly responsible for some of the largest drug seizures of fentanyl and cocaine bound for the United States in history,” said Houtan Moshrefi, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in San Diego.
“Their drugs not only destroy lives and communities, but also threaten our national security. The law enforcement actions against the Noriegas reaffirm our commitment to dismantling and dismantling this dangerous narco-terrorist group and combating drug trafficking,” Moshrefi added.
“According to court documents, since its inception, the Beltrán Leyva faction has been considered one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations operating in Mexico, engaging in shootings, murders, kidnappings, torture, and violent drug debt collection to sustain its operations,” the DOJ said.
“The Beltrán Leyva faction controls numerous territories and plazas throughout Mexico, including Tijuana [Baja California], and operates with violent impunity, trafficking lethal drugs, threatening communities, and attacking key officials, all while obtaining millions of dollars from their criminal activities,” the U.S. government stated.
“Pedro Inzunza Noriega collaborates closely with his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, to aggressively produce and traffic fentanyl to the United States, the government has alleged. Court documents indicate that, together, father and son lead one of the largest and most sophisticated fentanyl production networks in the world,” the DOJ commented.
“In recent years, they have trafficked tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl to the United States. On December 3, 2024, Mexican authorities raided several locations in Sinaloa controlled and operated by the father and son, and seized 1,500 kilograms (more than 1.65 tons) of fentanyl, the largest fentanyl seizure in the world,” the U.S. government recalled.
“These indictments continue a notable tradition in the Southern District of California of targeting the leadership and operations of powerful Mexican cartels, from the dismantling of the Arellano Félix Cartel to major attacks against today’s most dangerous, powerful, and violent cartels, such as the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and now the Beltrán Leyva Organization. This is the first indictment from the newly formed Narcoterrorism Unit, established following the swearing-in of U.S. Attorney Gordon on April 11, 2025,” the DOJ emphasized.
“The indictment against Pedro Inzunza Noriega reflects the Southern District of California's ongoing pursuit of the Sinaloa Cartel. In a federal law enforcement operation this Tuesday, approximately 1,500 kilograms of fentanyl pills were seized, and two men were captured. Firearms were also seized. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Mellor and Matthew Sutton,” the U.S. government added.
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 21, USC, Sections 960a and 841. Narcoterrorism. Maximum penalty: Life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison, and a $20 million fine.
Title 18, USC, Section 2339B. Providing material support for terrorism. Maximum penalty: 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Title 21, USC, Section 848(a). Continuing criminal enterprise. Maximum penalty: Life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum of 20 years, and a $10 million fine.
Title 21, USC, Sections 952, 959, 960, and 963. International conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Maximum penalty: Life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum of 10 years, and a $10 million fine.
Title 21, USC, Sections 841(a)(1) and 846. Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Maximum penalty: Life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, and a $10 million fine.
Title 21, USC, Sections 952, 960, and 963. Conspiracy to import controlled substances. Maximum penalty: Life imprisonment, a mandatory minimum of 10 years, and a $10 million fine.
Title 18, USC, Section 1956(h). Money laundering conspiracy. Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and a fine in the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved.
