US government taking ‘dramatically different approach’ using terrorism charges against drug cartels: FBI alum

A erstwhile FBI adjunct director says the national authorities is taking a "dramatically antithetic approach" to however it approaches cause trafficking aft respective Sinaloa cartel leaders were slapped with terror-related charges.

Both Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, were charged with narco-terrorism, worldly enactment of terrorism, cause trafficking and wealth laundering connected May 13 arsenic members of the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO), a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. Five further BLO leaders were charged with cause trafficking and wealth laundering.

It's the archetypal clip that cartel members person been deed with terrorism-related charges, which Chris Swecker, erstwhile adjunct manager of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, told Fox News Digital is intended to nonstop a message.

"This medication is taking a dramatically antithetic attack to warring cause cartels, who are the astir almighty transgression organizations connected the satellite close now," Swecker said. "It is cleanable for narco-traffickers due to the fact that if you tin spell aft anyone who supports these trafficking cartels and leaders and members successful immoderate way, if they springiness them a paperclip, if they supply fiscal support, if they enactment for them, they're a deed man."

SINALOA CARTEL LEADERS CHARGED WITH NARCO-TERRORISM AFTER AUTHORITIES SEIZE 1.65 TONS OF FENTANYL

View of burnt vehicles aft heavy equipped gunmen waged an all-out conflict against Mexican information forces successful Culiacan, Mexico, connected Oct. 18, 2019. (Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images)

"It besides gives america immoderate other territorial punch, if you will. It gives america the ability, if we privation to, to dip into overseas countries," helium said.

Swecker, who has tally galore investigations involving cause cartels, said the Trump administration's determination to usage coercion charges expands the fig of radical who tin beryllium charged, and increases the imaginable penalties.

"This is simply a superior attack by treating them arsenic terrorists. It increases the penalties that they're exposed to. It ups the ante erstwhile it comes to extradition," Swecker said. "It ups the ante erstwhile it comes to the seriousness of the charges. They tin usage RICO, they tin usage continuing transgression enterprise, they tin usage present worldly enactment to violent organizations, truthful now, each you person to bash is beryllium affiliated successful immoderate mode with a cause cartel, and we tin little a 20-year condemnation connected you."

On Feb. 20, the Trump medication designated the Sinaloa cartel arsenic a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

VIOLENT MEXICAN DRUG GANG'S HIGH RANKING MEMBERS SANCTIONED BY TRUMP

A motortruck connected occurrence is seen connected the streets of Culiacan, Mexico, connected Sept. 11, 2024, during an escalation of unit aft a Sinaloa cartel person was arrested. (Ivan Medina/AFP via Getty Images)

Noriega allegedly worked intimately with his lad to "aggressively traffic" fentanyl into the United States, prosecutors said, adding that the 2 person led "one of the largest and astir blase fentanyl accumulation networks successful the world."

The begetter and lad trafficked "tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl" into the United States, according to national prosecutors.

Mexican instrumentality enforcement officials raided respective locations successful Sinaloa that are managed and controlled by the pair, seizing implicit 1.65 tons of fentanyl.

Indictments are besides pending against members of the BLO and Sinaloa cartel, which see Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe, Pedro Inzunza Noriega, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Ismael Zambada Sicairos and Jose Gil Caro Quintero.

All individuals, including Noriega and Coronel, stay at-large.

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A full of 1,680 kilograms of cocaine seized successful Mexico City. (DOJ)

Adam Gordon, U.S. lawyer for the Southern District of California, sent a connection to the cartel leaders during a property league announcing the charges. 

"Let maine beryllium direct: To the leaders of the Sinaloa cartel, you are nary longer the hunters. You are the hunted. You volition beryllium betrayed by your friends. You volition beryllium hounded by your enemies, and you volition yet find yourself and your look present successful a courtroom successful the Southern District of California," Gordon said.