MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” U.S. Atty. Jay Clayton said in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday, The Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.” The Times also reported that U.S. authorities had already canceled Rocha Moya’s visa to travel to the U.S.
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, led by the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle to helm the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, where U.S. authorities arrested both of them.
In a statement, the Justice Department outlined the relationship between Rocha Moya and Guzmán’s four sons, known collectively as the Chapitos.
“Rocha Moya was elected Governor of Sinaloa, a position he has held since on or about November 1, 2021, after the Chapitos allegedly helped him get elected by, among other things, kidnapping and intimidating his rivals,” the statement said.
“In exchange,” the statment added, “both before and after he became Governor, Rocha Moya allegedly attended meetings with the Chapitos, at which he promised to protect the Chapitos as they distributed massive quantities of drugs to the United States and, as Governor, Rocha Moya has allowed the Chapitos to operate with impunity in Sinaloa.”
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This article was co-published with Puente News Collaborative, a bilingual nonprofit newsroom that covers stories from Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico border. Fisher is a special correspondent.
