US indicts Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and nine other Mexican officials for drug trafficking conspiracy

The US Department of Justice on April 30, 2026, indicted Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and nine other current and former Mexican officials, accusing them of conspiring with leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel to import narcotics into the United States in exchange for political support and bribes.

The indictment, unsealed in Manhattan federal court, alleges that Rocha Moya abused his position as governor to protect the cartel faction known as Los Chapitos. Prosecutors say cartel operatives helped secure Rocha Moya's 2021 election victory by kidnapping and threatening opposition candidates and stealing ballot papers cast for his rivals. Enrique Diaz Vega, who later became Rocha Moya's secretary of administration and finance, allegedly provided the cartel with a list of opponents' names and addresses so they could be pressured into dropping out of the race.

Charges against Rocha Moya include narcotics importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. If convicted, he faces life in prison or a mandatory minimum of 40 years.

"The Sinaloa Cartel is not just trafficking deadly drugs, it is a designated terrorist organization that relies on corruption and bribery to drive violence and profit," said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said: "As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organisations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll."

Rocha Moya "categorically and absolutely" denied the charges, calling them "a perverse strategy to violate national sovereignty." In a statement on X, he said the accusations were "completely untrue and without any basis."

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called on the US to present "irrefutable evidence" and said the accusations may be politically motivated. Mexico's Foreign Ministry received the extradition request on April 28, 2026, and said the documents "do not include the elements of proof." The Mexican Attorney General's Office announced its own investigation to determine if the US accusations have legal grounds.

At least three of the indicted officials are affiliated with President Sheinbaum's Morena party. Vanda Felbab-Brown of the Brookings Institution called the indictment "a real political headache for Sheinbaum." The indictment is part of an aggressive strategy by the Trump administration to combat drug cartels and official corruption in Mexico.