Sinaloa Cartel Leader to Face Drug Trafficking Charges After Extradition to Atlanta
ATLANTA, GA – Following his extradition from Mexico, Roberto Najera Gutierrez, also known as “Kunfu Panda” and “La Gallina,” has pleaded not guilty in federal court in Atlanta to a charge alleging he conspired to manufacture and distribute cocaine knowing it would be imported into the United States.
Najera Gutierrez, 48, of Tizimín, Yucatán, Mexico, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia after being extradited on January 8, 2026. He is charged in a previously sealed federal indictment returned in March 2018.
Federal prosecutors allege Najera Gutierrez was a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, a transnational criminal organization based in Mexico that was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist on February 20, 2025.
According to court filings, the investigation began in 2013 when agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration began targeting cartel-linked drug traffickers moving cocaine from South America into the United States. Investigators allege Najera Gutierrez led and coordinated the transportation of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine by boat from Colombia and Ecuador to Central America, specifically Honduras and Guatemala. From there, the drugs were allegedly smuggled into Mexico and distributed to other traffickers who imported the cocaine into Atlanta, Chicago, Florida, New York, and California.
Prosecutors also allege Najera Gutierrez coordinated the collection and movement of drug proceeds through bank accounts, a component of the investigation that involved IRS Criminal Investigation.
“As a senior member of the brutal Sinaloa Cartel, Najera Gutierrez is allegedly responsible for distributing massive amounts of cocaine intended to poison communities in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. He added that the case demonstrates the global reach of U.S. law enforcement and its ability to bring international drug traffickers into American courtrooms.
DEA Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Jae W. Chung described the case as part of a sustained, multi-agency effort to dismantle transnational criminal organizations responsible for drug trafficking and violence.
Najera Gutierrez was taken into custody in Mexico in October 2023 after U.S. authorities requested his extradition. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with Mexican officials to secure his transfer to the United States, and the U.S. Marshals Service assisted with his transport to Atlanta.
Federal officials emphasized that the indictment contains allegations only. Najera Gutierrez is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laurel Milam and Jonell L. Lucca.
