An alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader has been charged with narcoterrorism and drug trafficking, and a reward of up to $5 million each is being offered for information leading to his capture, as well as the arrest of his brother, federal prosecutors in San Diego said Thursday.
Narcoterrorism is a new charge and term that stems from the Trump administration’s designation of some cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel. Mexico has also worked with this administration to send some people to the U.S. for prosecution.
Rene Arzate-Garcia, also known as “La Rana,” is described by prosecutors in court documents as “a high-ranking, hyper-violent Sinaloa Cartel lieutenant” who prosecutors say has “brutally controlled the Tijuana Plaza” along with his brother, Alfonso Arzate-Garcia, also known as “Aquiles.”
The two have been running from drug trafficking charges since 2014, while controlling the Tijuana drug corridor for 15 years.
Prosecutors say the brothers have used “murder, kidnappings, extortion, and corruption” to control the region and support drug trafficking operations that have moved “thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana into the United States,” while also laundering millions in drug proceeds.
A figure representing Santa Muerte, a saint for narco traffickers, looms over a stash of firearms and drugs in a room in San Diego, California. (U.S. Department of Justice)
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Rene Arzate-Garcia has carried out “kidnappings and executions” in Tijuana on the cartel’s behalf and is a central figure in an ongoing, violent conflict between two cartel factions.
Arzate-Garcia was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control as a drug kingpin in 2023.
Thousands of pounds of fentanyl, methamphetamine, gold-plated high-powered firearms and rocket launchers were all part of what the U.S. State Department said is part of the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations that spill into areas like San Diego.
“These are not victimless crimes, illegal drugs destroy families, fracture neighborhoods, erode trust and foster corruption,” said James Nunnallee, of the Drug Enforcement Administration of San Diego.
Through cooperation with Mexico, five Sinaloa Cartel members have been arrested and are being held in San Diego.
“The Sinaloa Cartel, through a Mexican Mafia member, then basically outsourced to a Los Angeles gang to have a cartel hit in San Diego,” said U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of California Adam Gordon.
Thousands of pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl were seized in San Diego, California. (U.S. Department of Justice)
“These charges reflect the devastating harm inflicted on communities on both sides of the border through violence, addiction and intimidation,” Gordon said.
Gordon added new charges that include narcoterrorism, providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, international conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering, among others.
The new narcoterrorism charge can lead to longer sentences. If convicted, those indicted could face life in prison.
Anyone with information regarding the Arzate-Garcia brothers was asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or to go to their nearest FBI office. Tips can be submitted online anonymously at tips.fbi.gov/home.
Tips may also be submitted to the DEA at 1-858-298-5670 at Threema ID: PTJ4HS3J or by emailing MFSinaloaTipLine@dea.gov.