The Trump administration is employing a new legal strategy to combat drug trafficking, as evidenced by the recent terror-related charges brought against several leaders of the Sinaloa cartel. Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker suggests this marks a “dramatically different approach” by the federal government.
Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, members of the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO), a faction of the Sinaloa cartel, were charged on May 13 with narco-terrorism, material support of terrorism, drug trafficking, and money laundering. Five additional BLO leaders face charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to Swecker, these are the first instances of cartel members facing terrorism-related charges. He told Fox News Digital that this strategy is intended to send a strong message and expand the scope of who can be prosecuted. By treating these cartels as terrorist organizations, the administration can target not only direct participants but also anyone providing support, even seemingly minor assistance. This approach also provides “extra territorial punch,” potentially allowing for action in foreign countries.
Swecker, who has extensive experience in drug cartel investigations, explained that using terrorism charges increases the potential penalties for these individuals and raises the stakes for extradition. It allows the government to utilize laws such as RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) and the charge of continuing criminal enterprise, in addition to the new charge of material support to terrorist organizations, which could lead to harsher sentences even for those indirectly affiliated with a drug cartel.
The Trump administration had previously designated the Sinaloa cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on February 20.
Prosecutors allege that Pedro Inzunza Noriega worked closely with his son to aggressively traffic fentanyl into the United States, leading what they described as “one of the largest and most sophisticated fentanyl production networks in the world.” Federal prosecutors stated that the father and son trafficked “tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl” into the U.S.
Mexican law enforcement officials reportedly raided several locations in Sinaloa controlled by the Noriegas, seizing over 1.65 tons of fentanyl.
Indictments are also pending against other members of the BLO and Sinaloa cartel, including Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Ismael Zambada Sicairos, and Jose Gil Caro Quintero.
As of the report, all individuals named in the indictments, including Noriega and Coronel, remain at large. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, Adam Gordon, issued a direct warning to the cartel leaders during a press conference, stating, “To the leaders of the Sinaloa cartel, you are no longer the hunters. You are the hunted. You will be betrayed by your friends. You will be hounded by your enemies, and you will ultimately find yourself and your face here in a courtroom in the Southern District of California.”
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