A high-ranking Sinaloa Cartel lieutenant who allegedly conspired with El Chapo’s sons to smuggle fentanyl and cocaine into the United States has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Chicago on drug trafficking charges.
Jose Angel Canobbio Inzunza, 44, allegedly served as an advisor and security chief for El Chapo’s son, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, and his three brothers.
According to the indictment, Canobbio Inzunza became involved in the criminal underworld with the Guzman faction of the cartel in 2002.
It was previously headed by the notorious drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, aka El Chapo, who is serving a life sentence at ADX Florence in Colorado.
His sons allegedly took over and led a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico after his arrest.
Canobbio Inzunza allegedly conspired with the brothers, known as the “Chapitos,” to produce cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in Mexico and smuggle the drugs into the United States.
Canobbio Inzunza faces charges of drug conspiracy, a crime punishable by life in federal prison.
Authorities believe he is currently in Mexico, where he is sought under a U.S. arrest warrant.
According to the indictment, Canobbio Inzunza allegedly financed and led the armed security faction known as “Los Chimales.”
The group reportedly engaged in armed confrontations under Inzunza’s direction and provided security for the Guzman faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are investigating the case, and inquiries remain ongoing.
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Justice (DOJ) for comment via email.
The Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful and notorious drug trafficking organizations, is one of the driving forces behind the influx of illicit narcotics into the United States.
This follows the jailing of the son of a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel after a police raid uncovered 42,000 fentanyl pills in an apartment.
Brian Jesus Zazueta, 23, the son of Adolfo Zazueta-Bueno, a key figure in the Sinaloa Cartel, was sentenced Wednesday to 13 years and four months in federal prison on drug-dealing charges. He must also serve five years of probation after his release.
According to court documents, Zazueta served as a mid-level manager of a drug trafficking organization operating out of Mexico that was responsible for distributing drugs in Spokane and across Eastern Washington.
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the largest and most influential drug trafficking organizations in the world. Originating in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico, the cartel has a notorious history and has played a significant role in the global drug trade, particularly in the trafficking of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana.
The Sinaloa Cartel’s roots trace back to the 1980s and 1990s, when drug trafficking in Mexico was dominated by a few major groups, like the Guadalajara Cartel.
After the arrest of the Guadalajara Cartel’s leader, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, several factions splintered off, with one of these groups forming what became the Sinaloa Cartel.
The cartel gained prominence in the 1990s under the leadership of key figures like “El Chapo,” Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, and Héctor “El Güero” Palma.
