Chicago City Wire

A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel on charges related to drug conspiracy. The indictment accuses Jose Angel Canobbio Inzunza of manufacturing cocaine, fentanyl, and other drugs in Mexico and importing them into the United States.

According to the indictment filed in the Northern District of Illinois, Canobbio Inzunza served as a principal advisor, lieutenant, and security chief for Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar. Guzman Salazar, along with his three brothers, allegedly led a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel after their father Joaquin Guzman Loera's arrest and imprisonment. The indictment claims that Canobbio Inzunza conspired with the brothers—known as the "Chapitos"—to manufacture and import drugs into the U.S. He is also accused of financing and leading an armed group called Los Chimales to provide security for this cartel faction.

The 44-year-old Canobbio Inzunza faces charges that could result in a maximum life sentence in federal prison. He is believed to be residing in Mexico, and a U.S. warrant has been issued for his arrest.

The announcement of the indictment was made by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Tara K. McGrath, United States Attorney for the Southern District of California; David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office; Stacey Moy, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office; and Francisco B. Burrola, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Arizona Field Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Erskine and Michelle Parthum from Illinois, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sutton from California, and Trial Attorney Kirk Handrich from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation (OCDETF), which aims to identify and dismantle drug trafficking organizations through a collaborative approach involving multiple agencies.

The public is reminded that an indictment does not imply guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.