Pedro Inzunza Coronel, a.k.a. El Pichón, was shot dead during an operation against drug trafficking carried out by the Mexican navy in Sinaloa. In reality, this is a huge blow to drug trafficking enterprises in Mexico. This put Coronel, the wife of one of Mexico’s most notorious fentanyl traffickers, at the center of the illicit drug trade. He worked in tandem with his old man, Pedro Inzunza Noriega, and was a right-hand man to Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, leader of the Guasave Cartel.
Coronel’s death was part of a larger military operation targeting multiple drug laboratories in the volatile region. During the raid, local and federal authorities seized weapons, vehicles, drugs, and chemical precursors. The Mexican navy is stepping up, responding to fears that organized crime is flooding the United States with fentanyl. Coronel has been accused of entering America’s illicit drug supply with tens of thousands of kilograms of this highly potent opioid.
Like his father, Coronel was charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine—faithful charges from the U.S. Department of Justice. These included narco-terrorism charges related to their large-scale trafficking networks that trafficked fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. Indictment of the aforementioned is historic. It is the nation’s first ever narco-terrorism charge according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Omar García Harfuch, a high-ranking official involved in the operation, stated, “Two operators of this criminal cell were detained and upon attacking the naval personnel, Pedro ‘N’ Pichón lost his life.” In Mexico, authorities are on the offensive against drug cartels. Their efforts underscore the very real threats these cartels are posing to public safety.
Second, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson lauded the Mexican government’s efforts to fight against drug trafficking. He remarked on Coronel’s extensive criminal record, which included accusations of “murders, kidnappings, torture, and violent debt collection for drug trafficking.” Johnson added, “These results reflect what our nations can achieve when they work together against those who pose a threat to our citizens.“
The Beltran Leyva Organization, to which Coronel belonged, has largely been considered defunct. Its splinter groups continue operating across Mexico. Coronel’s death could have an impact on the criminal networks’ infrastructure. It poses key questions for the future of drug trafficking in the region.
Law enforcement agencies are increasing pressure against organized crime and drug trafficking. Coronel’s death is a huge moment in the fight against fentanyl and other lethal substances that have been flooding into communities across Mexico and the United States.