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.