A former FBI assistant director says the federal government is taking a “dramatically different approach” to how it approaches drug trafficking after several Sinaloa cartel leaders were slapped with terror-related charges.

Both Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, were charged with narco-terrorism, material support of terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering on May 13 as members of the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO), a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. Five additional BLO leaders were charged with drug trafficking and money laundering.

It’s the first time that cartel members have been hit with terrorism-related charges, which Chris Swecker, former assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, told Fox News Digital is intended to send a message.

“This administration is taking a dramatically different approach to fighting drug cartels, who are the most powerful criminal organizations on the planet right now,” Swecker said. “It is perfect for narco-traffickers because if you can go after anyone who supports these trafficking cartels and leaders and members in any way, if they give them a paperclip, if they provide financial support, if they work for them, they’re a hit man.”

A truck on fire is seen on the streets of Culiacan, Mexico, on Sept. 11, 2024, during an escalation of violence after a Sinaloa cartel leader was arrested. (Ivan Medina/AFP via Getty Images)

Noriega allegedly worked closely with his son to “aggressively traffic” fentanyl into the United States, prosecutors said, adding that the two have led “one of the largest and most sophisticated fentanyl production networks in the world.”

The father and son trafficked “tens of thousands of kilograms of fentanyl” into the United States, according to federal prosecutors.

Mexican law enforcement officials raided several locations in Sinaloa that are managed and controlled by the pair, seizing over 1.65 tons of fentanyl.

Indictments are also pending against members of the BLO and Sinaloa cartel, which include Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, Oscar Manuel Gastelum Iribe, Pedro Inzunza Noriega, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Ismael Zambada Sicairos and Jose Gil Caro Quintero.

All individuals, including Noriega and Coronel, remain at-large.

A total of 1,680 kilograms of cocaine seized in Mexico City. (DOJ)

Adam Gordon, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, sent a message to the cartel leaders during a press conference announcing the charges. 

“Let me be direct: To the leaders of the Sinaloa cartel, you are no longer the hunters. You are the hunted. You will be betrayed by your friends. You will be hounded by your enemies, and you will ultimately find yourself and your face here in a courtroom in the Southern District of California,” Gordon said.