Office of Public Affairs | Sinaloa Cartel Leader Charged with Narcoterrorism, Material Support of Terrorism and Drug Trafficking
Note: To download a copy of the Wanted Rewards Posters in English and Spanish, click on: René Arzate-García and Alfonso Arzate-García.
A superseding indictment unsealed today charges René Arzate-García, also known as “La Rana,” alleged Tijuana plaza boss for the Sinaloa Cartel, with Narcoterrorism and Material Support of Terrorism in connection with trafficking massive amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States.
Also today, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs announced that it is offering up to $5 million each for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of La Rana, 42, of Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico, and his brother, Alfonso Arzate-García, also known as “Aquiles.” These rewards are offered in coordination with the DEA San Diego Field Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California in a unified effort to bring the brothers to justice.
“Foreign terrorist organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel have spent decades poisoning our children and committing acts of unimaginable violence against innocent civilians — no longer under President Trump,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This latest indictment, which follows the landmark conviction of Sinaloa Cartel co-founder “El Mayo” on American soil, is a key development in this Department of Justice’s ongoing campaign to permanently dismantle these cartels and deliver American justice to their cowardly leaders.”
“To the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel who remain at large: Hide. Run. Fight. Flee. The illusion is that you have a choice. The reality is that you can either surrender to justice or you’ll be brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California.
“Rene Arzate-García is a ruthless Sinaloa Cartel plaza boss who is accused of exploiting U.S. ports of entry to flood our nation with fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine,” said Administrator Terrance Cole of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “He and his brother, Alfonso, are among DEA’s wanted fugitives for these alleged crimes against the United States. This superseding indictment underscores Arzate-García’s role, not only as a cartel operative but as a narco-terrorist who preys on vulnerabilities to flood communities with poison, violence, and fear. I want to recognize U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for his leadership and his aggressive pursuit of those who traffic deadly drugs into our country. His partnership and resolve have been instrumental in advancing this case and ensuring that cartel leaders are held accountable. DEA remains relentless in its mission to dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel, a foreign terrorist organization, and bring its members to justice.”
“The FBI and its partners commitment to thwarting the Sinaloa Cartel is unwavering,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “We will continue to use everything at our disposal to disrupt their operations and prevent further drugs and violence from coming into our communities. The Sinaloa Cartel, including its leaders, will be forced to face the consequences of their actions.”
“President Donald Trump has made clear that narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to the United States will be tracked down and prosecuted,” said Senior Bureau Official Chris Landberg of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. “Under the Narcotics Rewards Program, we are offering rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of René and Alfonso Arzate-García, key figures sustaining the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations at the U.S. border with Mexico in Tijuana.”
“René Arzate-García has progressed up the ranks of the Sinaloa Cartel to become one of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers in the region,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge TJ Holland of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “Designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, the Sinaloa Cartel threatens our national security and the safety of our citizens. FBI San Diego, in coordination with our local, state, federal, and international law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively investigate these transnational criminal organizations and their leaders targeting our neighborhoods with narcoterrorism and other criminal activity until they are eliminated from our communities.”
“Those who traffic in violence, corruption, fear, and addiction destroy lives and destabilize our communities,” said Senior Agent in Charge James Nunnallee of the DEA San Diego. “The DEA remains unwavering in our mission to dismantle Foreign Terrorist Organizations and drug trafficking networks that threaten public safety and national security.”
“This indictment demonstrates the power of financial investigations in dismantling criminal enterprises that fuel violence and terror,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Los Angeles Field Office. “René Arzate-García and his co-conspirators allegedly laundered millions in drug proceeds through complex international transactions designed to hide the source and ownership of illicit funds. IRS-CI followed the money, exposing the financial lifelines that sustain narcoterrorism and global drug trafficking. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure these organizations are stripped of their resources and held accountable for their crimes.”
According to court documents, René Arzate-García is a Baja California, Mexico-based “plaza boss” for the Sinaloa Cartel, along with his brother Alfonso Arzate-García, also known as “Aquiles” (previously charged in case number 14-cr-00722-DMS). René Arzate-García manages the cartel’s drug trafficking operations in Tijuana and the surrounding municipalities and is involved in importing large quantities of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana, into the United States. Known to be extremely violent, Arzate-García is also involved in carrying out enforcement operations, such as kidnappings and executions, for the Sinaloa Cartel.
This indictment supersedes a 2014 indictment for conspiracy to import marijuana and demonstrates that René Arzate-García is a key member of the Sinaloa Cartel and controls the Tijuana plaza that includes the entire state of Baja California. He has imported thousands of kilograms of drugs including methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana into the Southern District of California and laundered millions of dollars of drug proceeds. In addition to his drug trafficking, the indictment shows his history of corrupting Mexican law enforcement and public officials, extortion of businesses in the Tijuana Plaza, and his reputation for extreme violence, including numerous kidnappings and murders in Tijuana, Mexico on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel. René Arzate-García was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, as a Drug Kingpin in 2023. These indictments follow a storied tradition in the Southern District of California for dismantling leadership and operations of powerful Mexican cartels – from the dismantling of the Arellano Felix Cartel to major strikes against today’s most dangerous, powerful and violent cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and the Beltran Leyva Organization.
If you have any information about René Arzate-García or Alfonso Arzate-García, please contact either
FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or your nearest local FBI office; If you are outside the United States, you may contact the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. You can also submit a tip online, anonymously, at tips.fbi.gov/home; or
DEA by phone (WhatsApp and Signal) at +1-858-298-5670, at Threema ID: PTJ4HS3J, or by email at [email protected]. If you are located outside of the United States, you may also contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are located in the United States, you may also contact the local DEA field office.
The superseding indictment is a direct result of President Trump’s Executive Order 14157 which designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and the Secretary of State’s subsequent designation of the same on Feb. 20, 2025.
FBI, DEA, IRS-CI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas are conducting the investigation.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Mellor and Matthew Sutton for the Southern District of California.
René Arzate-García is charged in violation of Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 960a and 841 – Narcoterrorism with a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $20 million fine; Title 18, U.S.C. Sec. 2339B – Providing Material Support to Terrorism with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine; Title 21, U.S.C., Sec. 848(a) – Continuing Criminal Enterprise with a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 20 years and $10 million fine; Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 952, 959, 960, and 963 – International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances with a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine; Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 841(a)(1) and 846 – Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances with a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine; Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 952, 960 and 963 – Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances with a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine; Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h) – Money Laundering Conspiracy with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved, whichever is greater.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by the California Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
An indictment and complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
