Pedro Inzunza, a US-indicted ‘narcoterrorist,’ is arrested in Sinaloa

Pedro Inzunza Noriega, a cartel operative wanted by U.S. authorities connected narcoterrorism charges, was arrested successful Culiacán, Sinaloa, connected Wednesday during a peculiar cognition carried retired by Mexico’s National Guard, the Navy and the Army. 

Inzunza, 62 and known arsenic “El Señor de la Silla” (“The Lord of the Chair”) and “Sagitario,” is accused of moving a cause accumulation and trafficking network, chiefly dealing successful fentanyl, with a nonstop interaction connected the U.S. market. 

The cognition that netted “The Lord of the Chair” was carried retired jointly by the Mexican Navy, Army and National Guard. (José Betanzos Zarate / Cuartoscuro.com)

Allegedly members of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel, Inzunza and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, alias “El Pichón,” were indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) successful May 2025. Inzunza Coronel was killed successful a clash with the Mexican subject connected Nov. 30, 2025.

The paper El País reported that the Inzunzas were among the archetypal suspects to beryllium charged with narcoterrorism pursuing U.S. President Donald Trump’s designation of respective Mexican cause cartels arsenic terrorists successful February 2025. 

“An indictment unsealed [on May 13, 2025] is the archetypal successful the federation to complaint alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel with narco-terrorism and worldly enactment of coercion successful transportation with trafficking monolithic amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin into the United States,” a DOJ connection read.

The Beltrán Leyva Cartel is considered a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, which is among the transgression organizations designated arsenic violent groups by the Trump administration. 

The apprehension of Inzunza Noriega came during a associated cognition successful the Guadalupe vicinity of the Sinaloa authorities capital, Culiacán, which was carried retired without immoderate reported clashes. Three different radical were arrested on with Inzunza, and weapons and drugs were seized.

The 4 detainees person been transferred to Mexico City wherever they person been placed astatine the disposal of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime.

Inzunza is believed to beryllium 2nd successful bid of the Beltrán Leyva group, down Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, alias “El Chapo Isidro,” who took implicit aft cartel person Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was kidnapped and flown to the U.S. successful July 2024. Meza was besides named successful the May 2025 indictment.

Since Zambada’s removal, the rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel person engaged successful a civilian war that has resulted successful much than 1,800 murders and astir 800 disappearances.

The U.S. indictment was based connected a December 2024 cognition successful which 1,500 kilograms of fentanyl was seized by Mexican marines at properties linked to the Inzunza household successful Sinaloa. It was considered one of the largest seizures of the cause ever recorded worldwide.

With reports from El País, El Universal, N+ and Infobae