The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that they have added the alleged head of the Meza-Flores transnational criminal organization to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores, 42, also known as “Chapo Isidro,” is accused of spearheading the Sinaloa, Mexico-based group, which the FBI said is “responsible for the possession, distribution, and importation of large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana into the U.S.”

Meza-Flores’ criminal activity has spanned over 20 years, the FBI said. 

“For decades, the public has shared information with the FBI that has helped us capture dangerous criminals,” Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan said in a statement. “Today, we ask you to help us find Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores, so we can bring him to justice and curb the flow of illegal drugs into our country.”

The FBI announced the addition of Fausto Isidro Meza-Flores, 42, also known as “Chapo Isidro,” to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. (Emma Woodhead)

Meza-Flores was originally indicted back in May 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In November 2019, a federal grand jury handed down a superseding indictment for drug trafficking offenses and possession of a firearm. The indictment alleges that Mesa-Florez conspired to manufacture and distribute drugs including marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine in the U.S. from 2005 to 2019. 

The U.S. government is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Meza-Flores’ arrest and conviction. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI. 

Pictured is  pile of fentanyl that was seized in Nogales, Arizona. Border agents and officers seized more than 1,900 pounds of the illicit drug in October 2022. (CBP)

Meza-Flores is described as being 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, with brown eyes and dark brown hair. He likely lives in Mexico, the FBI said.

Meza-Flores is the 533rd fugitive added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list since it was created in March 1950. Since then, 496 have been apprehended or located. The federal law enforcement agency says 163 of those caught have been “a result of citizen cooperation.”