Mexican authorities have arrested Pedro Inzunza Noriega, an alleged leader of the Sinaloa cartel wanted by the United States, on charges of drug trafficking and terrorism, government sources confirmed Wednesday.
In May, the US accused Noriega of trafficking large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin into the country as the second-in-command of the Beltran Leyva Organization, a now-defunct faction of the cartel. He was taken into custody in Sinaloa state, in northwestern Mexico.
The US indictment was the first to charge a Sinaloa cartel leader with “narco-terrorism and material support of terrorism,” the Justice Department said. At the time, Attorney General Pam Bondi described the cartel as a “complex, dangerous terrorist organization” and vowed life imprisonment for those involved.
Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump has prioritized cracking down on drug trafficking, authorizing strikes on alleged drug boats in the Pacific and Caribbean that have killed more than 100 people. He has also urged Mexico to intensify its anti-drug efforts, warning of potential tariffs on exports if progress is insufficient.
Noriega’s son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, charged alongside him, was killed in November during a Mexican military anti-drug operation.
