Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
Three alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, Kevin Gil Acosta (also known as “El 200”), Martin Zazueta Perez (“Piyi”), and Leobardo Garcia Corrales (“Leo”), appeared in Manhattan federal court after being transferred from Mexico to the United States. The defendants face charges related to fentanyl trafficking and weapons offenses for their roles within the cartel. U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo ordered them detained following their initial court appearance.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated, “The illicit fentanyl trade continues to plague Americans and New Yorkers of all walks of life, and the Sinaloa Cartel, a vast, deadly, and corrupt enterprise, is at the center of the scourge. The defendants allegedly held leading roles, using abhorrent violence to protect the Cartel. Their arrival yesterday in the United States to face justice in a U.S. courtroom is another major step in the partnership between our Office and the DEA to end the operations of the Sinaloa Cartel.”
According to indictments and other court filings, the Sinaloa Cartel operates globally from its base in Mexico’s Sinaloa state and is considered one of the dominant drug trafficking organizations responsible for large amounts of fentanyl entering the United States. The group has been linked with violence affecting communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The sons of former leader Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera (“El Chapo”), known as “the Chapitos,” have used armed enforcers called sicarios who employ military-grade weapons—often smuggled from the United States—to protect cartel operations through acts including murder, torture, and kidnapping.
Gil Acosta was identified as a leader among these sicarios, protecting fentanyl laboratories and distribution routes controlled by the Chapitos while personally trafficking fentanyl manufactured there. Zazueta Perez was responsible for security in Sinaloa state, using violent means such as kidnapping and murder with machine guns to defend cartel interests. Both participated in attacks against Mexican government officials during efforts by authorities—including an incident in October 2019 involving confrontations with law enforcement personnel.
Garcia Corrales is accused of supplying fentanyl on a large scale for sale in the United States while conspiring to exchange drugs for military-grade weapons—including automatic firearms and grenades—to support his trafficking activities.
All three men were transferred from Mexico under that country’s National Security law on August 12, 2025. They are among more than two dozen fugitives extradited recently to face various federal or state charges across America related not only to drug trafficking but also crimes such as hostage-taking, illegal use of firearms, human smuggling, money laundering, murder of law enforcement officers, and others.
Each defendant faces multiple counts: conspiracy to import fentanyl (carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years up to life imprisonment), possession of machine guns/destructive devices (minimum 30 years up to life), conspiracy to possess such weapons (up to life), with Gil Acosta and Zazueta Perez facing additional charges for conspiracy related specifically to fentanyl trafficking.
Sentencing guidelines are set by Congress; actual sentences will be determined by a judge if convictions occur.
Jay Clayton commended investigative efforts by several agencies including DEA’s Special Operations Division and Bilateral Investigations Unit—both based in Mexico—the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, U.S. Marshals Service, and Mexican authorities.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas S. Bradley, Jane Y. Chong, Sarah L. Kushner, and David J. Robles are prosecuting this case through the National Security and International Narcotics Unit at SDNY.
The indictments remain allegations; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
