The United States government has charged the sitting governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state and nine other current and former Mexican officials with drug trafficking and weapons offences, in a sweeping indictment unsealed Wednesday in a Manhattan federal court.
The most prominent defendant is Rubén Rocha Moya, who has served as governor of Sinaloa since November 2021. Authorities allege that Rocha and the other defendants played essential roles in helping the Sinaloa drug cartel ship fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States. As of Wednesday, none of the defendants were in custody.
The indictment alleged that the accused were closely aligned with the faction of the Sinaloa cartel run by the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the former cartel leader now serving a life sentence in a US prison. Some of the defendants, according to the indictment, personally participated in the cartel’s campaign of violence and retribution.
Among those indicted, at least three officials including Rocha, the mayor of Sinaloa’s capital, and a senator were affiliated with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s party, Morena.
Rocha was also a staunch ally of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his “Hugs, Not Bullets” policy, which avoided direct confrontation with drug cartels.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated that the Sinaloa Cartel has flooded American communities with dangerous drugs for decades, adding that the cartel would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on its payroll.
DEA head Terrance Cole said the indictment exposes a deliberate effort to undermine public institutions and put American lives at risk, adding that the charged officials used positions of trust to protect cartel operations.
Rocha flatly rejected the accusations, saying he categorically and completely denies all charges and described them as baseless. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that any U.S. investigation targeting individuals in Mexico must have its evidence reviewed by the Mexican Attorney General’s Office.
The charges follow a statement last week by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson, who said the US administration would launch an anti-corruption campaign targeting Mexican officials linked to organised crime.
This is not the first time a senior Mexican official has faced U.S. drug charges. Former public security secretary Genaro García Luna was convicted in 2023 of accepting bribes to protect the Sinaloa Cartel and was sentenced to more than 38 years in prison.