United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SAN DIEGO – An indictment unsealed today charges Carlos Paez Pereda, aka “Carlitos,” aka
“Carlitos Rugrats,” alleged high-ranking lieutenant and leader of a violent wing of the Sinaloa Cartel called “Los Rugrats,” with Narcoterrorism and Material Support of Terrorism in connection with trafficking massive amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine into the United States.

“For years, Pereda allegedly fueled the drug crisis by trafficking deadly drugs into the United States while using violence, intimidation, and fear to protect his criminal enterprise,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge James Nunnallee. “As alleged in the indictment, his organization relied on murder, kidnapping, and armed enforcers to maintain power and ensure the continued flow of drugs that have devastated families and communities across our nation. DEA and our law enforcement partners remain relentless in our pursuit of those who profit from addiction and violence. Together, we are strengthening a global network of partnerships that is disrupting cartel operations, dismantling their criminal enterprises and ensuring those responsible have fewer places to hide and nowhere to run.”

“No se puede capturar a un personaje de dibujos animados. Pero a un narcoterrorista, sí,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.

“Today’s indictment underscores the FBI’s determination to dismantle the most violent elements of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “Los Rugrats has fueled brutal violence in Mexico that reaches into the United States along with a relentless flow of deadly drugs into our communities. Together with our federal and state partners, we will continue to target cartel leadership wherever they operate to bring them to justice and protect the public.”

“This indictment highlights the collaboration and strength of the Homeland Security Task Force,”
said Kevin Murphy, acting Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in San
Diego. “HSI will continue to support our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners as HSTF San Diego continues to dismantle the cartels and protect our communities.”

All photos are published in court documents and were pulled from social media accounts associated with Carlos Paez Pereda. The images depict drugs, guns and trafficking proceeds connected to the defendant.

According to court documents, Carlos Paez Pereda operates a prolific manufacturing and distribution network of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine for the Mayo Zambada faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Carlos Paez Pereda also enforces the Sinaloa Cartel’s operations in Sinaloa and Tijuana through murder, kidnappings, and other violent activity, using a group of armed fighters and hitmen.
Carlos Paez Pereda also manages and controls a portion of the Sinaloa Cartel’s transportation
operations from Sinaloa to Tijuana, and the surrounding municipalities, ultimately leading to the
importation of these drugs into the United States and distribution in the Southern District of
California and elsewhere.

Over the past decade, Carlos Paez Pereda has imported tens of thousands of kilograms of
methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, into the United States and laundered hundreds of millions of dollars in drug proceeds. Carlos Paez Pereda was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, as a Drug Kingpin in September 2025.

Carlos Paez Pereda has also assisted the Los Mayos faction during their ongoing bloody conflict
with the “Los Chapitos” faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Carlos Paez Pereda has provided fighters,
weapons, logistics, and money during the conflict.

This indictment follows a storied tradition in the Southern District of California for dismantling
leadership and operations of powerful Mexican cartels – from the dismantling of the Arellano Felix Cartel to major strikes against today’s most dangerous, powerful and violent cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and the Beltran Leyva Organization.

The indictment is a direct result of President Trump’s Executive Order 14157 which designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and the Secretary of State’s subsequent
designation of the same on February 20, 2025.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Mellor and Peter Horn.

Investigating Agencies: U.S. Attorney's Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Chula Vista Police Department.

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated and prosecuted by the California Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America.