In a significant blow to the international fentanyl trade, Mexican naval forces have killed one of the country's most prolific drug traffickers during a major security operation.
Operation Nets Key Cartel Figure
Pedro Inzunza Coronel, known by the alias 'El Pichón' (The Pigeon), was fatally shot on Sunday during an anti-narcotics mission conducted by the Mexican navy in the north-western state of Sinaloa. The operation, which also led to the detention of two associates, unfolded after the suspects allegedly opened fire on naval personnel.
Mexico's security secretary, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed the details on social media platform X. Coronel, along with his father Pedro Inzunza Noriega, was considered a principal figure in a network accused of importing tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl into the United States.
A Global Narco-Terrorism Indictment
The father and son duo faced unprecedented charges from the United States Department of Justice. In May, they were indicted on narco-terrorism charges – the first such prosecution of its kind in the US – related to trafficking massive quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin.
US authorities described their organisation as "one of the largest and most sophisticated fentanyl production networks in the world." The scale of their operation was underscored last year when Mexican law enforcement seized more than 1.65 tons of fentanyl from locations they controlled, marking the largest single seizure of the drug globally at that time.
Cartel Links and International Manhunt
Coronel and Noriega were key leaders within the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO), a once-dominant and notoriously violent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Although the BLO is now considered defunct, its splinter groups remain active across Mexico.
According to Mexican media reports, Coronel served as the right-hand man to Fausto Isidro Meza Flores ('El Chapo Isidro'), leader of the Guasave Cartel. Meza Flores himself was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in February 2024, highlighting the international reach of these criminal enterprises.
Sunday's raid successfully located several drug laboratories. Authorities confiscated weapons, vehicles, narcotics, and the chemical precursors used to manufacture synthetic drugs.
International Cooperation Against a Shared Threat
The operation was swiftly commended by the United States. Ronald Johnson, the US Ambassador to Mexico, posted on X that Coronel was accused of a litany of brutal crimes including "murders, kidnappings, torture, and violent debt collection for drug trafficking."
Ambassador Johnson emphasised the importance of cross-border collaboration, stating: "These results reflect what our nations can achieve when they work together against those who pose a threat to our citizens." The killing of 'El Pichón' represents a tactical victory in the ongoing struggle to dismantle the networks responsible for the fentanyl crisis, a public health emergency affecting both Mexico and the United States.
