Rubén Rocha Moya, governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, said on Friday that he will temporarily leave office, days after a U.S. indictment accused him of helping a drug cartel. He denies the charges.
“My conscience is clear; a lifetime confirms my words,” Rocha said. In a video address released that evening, he repeated his denial and described the move as a way to “facilitate the actions of Mexican authorities” in the investigation. The Sinaloa State Congress still has to approve his resignation.
The U.S. charges
A five-count indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, names Rocha and nine other current or former high-ranking Mexican officials. Prosecutors in New York say they aided a cartel faction led by the Chapitos, the sons of Joaquin Guzman Loera, known as El Chapo.
The prosecutors’ account of Rocha’s role goes back to his election. They allege he met the Chapitos beforehand and promised that, once he won, he would put officials loyal to their drug operations into government posts. Cartel members, the charges say, stole ballot boxes and abducted or intimidated opponents to keep them out of the race.
The indictment also alleges that Mexican officials helped the cartel bring fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs into the United States, got in the way of investigations and prosecutions of its leaders, and made drug-related violence possible. In return, the charges say, they received millions of dollars.
Mexico’s response
Rocha has governed Sinaloa since 2021, after winning as a candidate of Morena, the party of President Claudia Sheinbaum. At her daily briefing on Thursday, Sheinbaum read a statement saying her government would not shield anyone who committed a crime. The Office of the Attorney General, she said, would decide whether there is enough evidence to bring charges. She also rejected any intervention by the United States, which has pressed Mexico for more decisive action against organized crime since the start of Donald Trump’s second term.
The Attorney General’s office said that at this stage there were not enough grounds to hold Rocha in pretrial detention pending extradition. It plans to ask the United States for its evidence and review the case, and said it would analyze the materials available.
Background on the cartel
After El Chapo’s arrest, the cartel divided into two factions. One is led by the Chapitos. The other was led by Ismael Zambada Garcia, known as El Mayo. The United States has already charged the Chapitos: two were extradited and pleaded guilty, and the other two brothers remain at large in Mexico. Zambada was charged as well, brought to the United States in 2024, and pleaded guilty.
Zambada had earlier accused Rocha of taking part in a meeting that led to his arrest. Rocha denied any involvement at the time.
