A high-ranking Sinaloa Cartel lieutenant who allegedly conspired with El Chapo’s sons to smuggle fentanyl and cocaine into the United States has been indicted by a Chicago federal grand jury on drug-trafficking charges.

Jose Angel Canobbio Inzunza, 44, is said to have been an adviser and head of security for El Chapo’s son, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, and his three brothers.

According to the indictment, Canobbio Inzunza was involved in the criminal underworld with the Guzman faction of the cartel in 2002.

It was previously run by notorious drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, alias El Chapo, who is serving a life sentence at ADX Florence in Colorado.

His sons would take over and rule a faction of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel after his arrest.

Canobbio Inzunza allegedly conspired with the brothers, known as the “Chapitos,” to manufacture cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine in Mexico and smuggle the drugs into the United States.

Canobbio Inzunza faces drug conspiracy charges, a felony punishable by life in federal prison.

Authorities believe he is currently in Mexico, where he is wanted on a US arrest warrant.

According to the indictment, Canobbio Inzunza allegedly financed and led the armed security faction known as “Los Chimales”.

The group reportedly engaged in armed confrontations under Inzunza’s leadership and provided security for the Guzman faction of the Sinaloa cartel.

The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are investigating the case and inquiries remain ongoing.

Newsweek reached out Department of Justice (DOJ) for comment via email.

The Sinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful and notorious drug trafficking organizations, is one of the driving forces behind the influx of illicit narcotics into the United States.

This follows the jailing of the son of a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa cartel after a the police raid turned up 42,000 fentanyl pills in an apartment.

Brian Jesus Zazueta, 23, the son of Adolfo Zazueta-Bueno, a key figure in the Sinaloa cartel, was sentenced Wednesday to 13 years and four months in federal prison for drug trafficking. He must also serve five years of probation upon release.

According to court documents, Zazueta served as a mid-level manager of a drug trafficking organization operating out of Mexico that was responsible for distributing drugs in Spokane and eastern Washington.

The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the largest and most influential drug trafficking organizations in the world. Originating in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico, the cartel has a notorious history and has played a significant role in the global drug trade, particularly in the trafficking of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana.

The roots of the Sinaloa cartel date back to the 1980s and 1990s, when drug trafficking in Mexico was dominated by a few major groups, such as the Guadalajara cartel.

After the arrest of Guadalajara cartel leader Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, several factions split, with one of these groups forming what became the Sinaloa Cartel.

The cartel rose to prominence in the 1990s under the leadership of key figures such as “El Chapo”, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Héctor “El Güero” Palma.