Summary of this article
The US justice department has indicted Sinaloa governor Rubén Rocha Moya and nine others for alleged ties to the Sinaloa cartel and narcotics trafficking into the United States.
The case adds pressure on President Claudia Sheinbaum.
This is happening amid US demands for stronger action against cartels, with possible life sentences if convictions follow.
The US justice department has charged the Sinaloa governor and nine other current and former officials with alleged links to the Sinaloa cartel, accusing them of facilitating the large-scale import of illicit narcotics into the United States.
Some of those charged are linked to Mexico’s ruling party, Morena, creating a political challenge for President Claudia Sheinbaum as she navigates growing pressure from the Trump administration.
The 10 individuals charged in a Manhattan federal court include current and former government and law enforcement officials from Sinaloa, among them Rubén Rocha Moya, 76, who has served as the state’s governor since November 2021.
According to the indictment, Rocha Moya was elected in 2021 with the support of the Sinaloa cartel, which allegedly kidnapped and intimidated political rivals in exchange for protection of its operations once he assumed office.
The charges against Rocha Moya include conspiracy to import narcotics, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and an additional conspiracy count. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment or a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years.
Responding to the indictment, Rocha Moya wrote on X that he “categorically and unequivocally reject[s]” the charges, which were “completely untrue and without any basis”. “It is part of a perverse strategy to violate (Mexico’s) constitutional order, specifically on national sovereignty, ” he wrote in a post on X on Wednesday afternoon. “We will show them that this slander doesn’t have any sort of foundation.”
US ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said tackling transnational crime remained a shared priority for both countries.
“Our countries have pledged to strengthen transparency, enforce anti-corruption laws, and uphold the rule of law. That is what our citizens on both sides of the border want and, as I have said repeatedly, this is what they deserve.”
While Sheinbaum has yet to comment on the charges, Mexico’s foreign relations secretariat said it had received multiple extradition requests from the US government, adding that the attorney general’s office would assess whether there is sufficient evidence to detain those accused.
Authorities allege the defendants played key roles in facilitating the shipment of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States. The Sinaloa cartel is one of eight Latin American criminal groups designated as terrorist organisations by the US government.
Amid pressure from the Trump administration, which has threatened tariffs and unilateral military action, Mexico has intensified arrests and drug seizures nationwide, transferred around 100 high-level cartel operatives to US prisons, and launched operations targeting cartel leaders.
In the past two months, Mexican forces have killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho”, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and arrested Audias Flores, a potential successor.
(with inputs from The Guardian)
