April 29, 2026 / 7:51 PM EDT / CBS/AP
The governor of Sinaloa and nine other current and former Mexican officials were charged in a U.S. federal indictment unsealed Wednesday in New York with drug trafficking and weapons offenses, accused of aiding a massive flow of illicit narcotics into the United States.
U.S. authorities said the defendants — which include government and law enforcement officials in Sinaloa — played key roles in helping the Sinaloa cartel ship fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine into the U.S. The indictment alleges they were closely aligned with the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos,” run by the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The 10 people charged in Manhattan federal court include Rubén Rocha Moya, 76, who has been governor of Sinaloa since November 2021. Rocha Moya faces counts including narcotics importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices, along with another conspiracy count. If convicted, he could face life in prison or a mandatory minimum of 40 years behind bars.
None of the defendants were in U.S. custody when the indictment was unsealed. Mexico’s government said it had received multiple extradition requests from the United States but did not identify the individuals targeted or say how it would respond.
Rocha Moya posted on social media saying he “categorically and absolutely” rejects the charges and called them an “attack,” asserting the accusations lack foundation. A longtime ally of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Rocha Moya supported López Obrador’s “Hugs, Not Bullets” approach, which sought to avoid direct confrontation with powerful cartels. López Obrador had campaigned on combating endemic corruption in Mexican politics.
U.S. officials said the indictment shows how corrupt officials and law enforcement helped cartel operations. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said the Sinaloa cartel and similar groups “would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.” DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said the defendants allegedly used positions of trust to protect cartel operations and enable a pipeline of deadly drugs into the United States.
The indictment notes that some of those charged directly participated in the Sinaloa cartel’s campaigns of violence and retribution. It also referenced a 2023 scandal in which Rocha Moya’s name appeared in a letter from a then-Sinaloa cartel capo who was kidnapped by a rival faction and later turned over to U.S. authorities; the capo wrote that he believed he was being taken to meet Rocha Moya.
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said the legal process must play out but emphasized that corruption enabling organized crime harms both countries and will be investigated and prosecuted where U.S. jurisdiction applies. The unsealed indictment follows Johnson’s announcement last week of an anti-corruption campaign aimed at Mexican officials alleged to have links to organized crime.
The charges present a political challenge for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has sought to balance domestic pressures and criticism from the Trump administration. Among those indicted, at least three officials — Rocha Moya, the mayor of Sinaloa’s capital, and Senator Enrique Cazarez — were affiliated with Sheinbaum’s Morena party. Some politicians named in the indictment called the action a political attack on their party.
Sheinbaum has said her government has not seen “any evidence” supporting the U.S. allegations and insisted that any U.S. investigation of Mexicans must have evidence reviewed by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office. Her administration has already detained several local officials in an ongoing crackdown on cartels amid increasing U.S. pressure.
The indictment is not the first time the U.S. has charged high-ranking Mexican officials in drug-related cases. In 2023, Genaro García Luna, a former public security secretary under President Felipe Calderón, was convicted in the U.S. and sentenced to 38 years after being accused of accepting bribes from the Sinaloa cartel; he has denied the allegations and is appealing.
As the legal process proceeds, Mexico must decide how to handle U.S. extradition requests and whether to pursue its own investigations. The case underscores long-standing concerns about corruption and cartel influence in parts of Mexico and the cross-border consequences of those ties.