Father-son cartel leaders charged for allegedly running fentanyl network

A father-son duo and different Sinaloa cartel leaders were charged Tuesday with allegedly trafficking monolithic amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin into the United States, the U.S. Department of Justice said successful a quality release. 

Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel ran 1 of the largest and astir blase fentanyl accumulation networks, national prosecutors said. The Department of Justice said the duo were leaders of the Beltran Leyva Organization — a almighty and convulsive faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Five different leaders were besides charged with cause trafficking and wealth laundering.

The brace trafficked tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl into the United States, the U.S. authorities alleges, and much than 1.65 tons of fentanyl was seized from their holdings by the Mexican government– the largest seizure of fentanyl successful the world.

"The Sinaloa Cartel is simply a complex, unsafe violent enactment and dismantling them demands a novel, almighty ineligible response," said Attorney General Pam Bondi said successful the statement. "Their days of brutalizing the American radical without effect are implicit — we volition question beingness successful situation for these terrorists."

President Trump has designated 8 Latin American cause trafficking organizations arsenic violent organizations, including Mexico's 2 main cause trafficking organizations, the Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa cartels.

Mr. Trump signed an enforcement order on his archetypal time backmost successful the White House saying that the cartels "constitute a national-security menace beyond that posed by accepted organized crime."

In the months since, the Department of Justice has charged respective alleged cartel leaders, including two brothers, accused of being leaders of La Nueva Familia Michoacana. Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga are accused of participating successful a conspiracy to manufacture cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl and importing and distributing the drugs successful the United States, authorities said during a quality league successful Atlanta.

Sixteen radical were besides arrested earlier this period and 3 cardinal pills laced with fentanyl were seized successful what federal prosecutors said was the "largest fentanyl bust successful DEA history."

Democrats besides urged the Trump medication officials to usage the designation of Latin American cartels and gangs arsenic overseas violent organizations to instrumentality enactment to curtail the flow of American-made guns crossed the confederate border.

In:
• Mexico
• Cartel

Melissa Quinn contributed to this report.