Rainbow colored fentanyl pills and fentanyl bricks with "Louis Vuitton" and "Rolls Royce" stamps, linked to Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel. Department of Justice

A man wanted by the U.S. on accusations of trafficking large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine was killed Sunday by Mexican military personnel during an anti-drug operation, officials said.

Pedro Inzunza Coronel, alias "Pichon," died during the operation in the northwestern state of Sinaloa.

Omar Garcia Harfuch, Mexico's security secretary, confirmed Coronel's death on social media.

"In an operation led by the Secretariat of the Navy... two operators of this criminal cell were detained and upon attacking the naval personnel, Pedro 'N' Pichon lost his life," Harfuch said.

In May, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Coronel, as well as his father, Pedro Inzunza Noriega, with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering as leaders from a faction of a now-defunct cartel known as the Beltran Leyva Organization, a violent faction of the Sinaloa cartel.

The father and son trafficked tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl into the U.S., the federal government alleged, and more than 1.65 tons of fentanyl was seized from their holdings by the Mexican government — the largest seizure of fentanyl in the world. The DOJ released multiple images of fentanyl and cocaine seizures connected to the duo.

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said in a post on X that Inzunza was accused of multiple crimes, including "murders, kidnappings, torture, and violent debt collection for drug trafficking."

"These results reflect what our nations can achieve when they work together against those who pose a threat to our citizens," Johnson wrote.

Since returning to power in January, President Donald Trump has demanded Mexico increase its efforts in the fight against drug trafficking, threatening tariffs on Mexican exports if more is not done.

In August, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum insisted that there would be "no invasion of Mexico" following reports that Mr. Trump had ordered the U.S. military to target Latin American drug cartels.

That same month, Mexico sent 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the United States in a major deal with the Trump administration. Those handed over to U.S. custody included Abigael González Valencia, a leader of "Los Cuinis," a group closely aligned with notorious cartel Jalisco New Generation, or CJNG. Another defendant, Roberto Salazar, was wanted in connection to the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy.

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