A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday in New York charges the governor of Sinaloa and nine other current and former Mexican officials with drug trafficking and weapons offenses, alleging they helped funnel large volumes of illicit narcotics into the United States.
The indictment, filed in Manhattan federal court, names government and law enforcement figures in Sinaloa who U.S. authorities say aided the Sinaloa cartel in shipping fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine north of the border. Prosecutors say several of the defendants were closely aligned with the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos,” run by the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Among the 10 defendants is Rubén Rocha Moya, 76, who has served as governor of Sinaloa since November 2021. Rocha Moya faces counts including narcotics importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and another conspiracy count. If convicted on some of the counts outlined in the indictment, he could face life in prison or a mandatory minimum sentence of 40 years.
U.S. officials said none of the accused were in U.S. custody when the indictment was unsealed. Mexico’s government acknowledged it had received multiple U.S. extradition requests but did not identify who was targeted or say how it would respond.
Rocha Moya posted on social media saying he “categorically and absolutely” rejects the charges, calling them an “attack” and asserting the accusations are unfounded. A longtime ally of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Rocha Moya supported López Obrador’s “Hugs, Not Bullets” policy, which sought to avoid direct confrontation with powerful cartels. López Obrador had campaigned on tackling corruption in Mexican politics.
U.S. prosecutors characterized the indictment as evidence of how corrupt officials and law enforcement aided 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 abused positions of trust to shield cartel operations and enable a pipeline of deadly drugs into the United States.
The indictment also alleges that some of those charged took part directly in the cartel’s campaigns of violence and retribution. It references a 2023 incident in which Rocha Moya’s name appeared in a letter from a then-Sinaloa cartel capo who had been kidnapped by a rival faction and later cooperated with 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, while stressing that corruption that enables organized crime harms both countries and will be investigated and prosecuted where U.S. jurisdiction applies. The unsealed indictment follows Johnson’s recent announcement of an anti-corruption campaign aimed at Mexican officials alleged to have links to organized crime.
The charges create a political headache for President Claudia Sheinbaum. At least three of the people named in the indictment — including Rocha Moya, the mayor of Sinaloa’s capital and Senator Enrique Cazarez — are affiliated with Sheinbaum’s Morena party. Some politicians named in the filing have described the action as a political attack on their party.
Sheinbaum’s administration says it has not seen “any evidence” supporting the U.S. allegations and has insisted that any U.S. investigation of Mexican nationals should include evidence reviewed by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office. Her government has already detained several local officials as part of a broader crackdown on cartels amid mounting U.S. pressure.
The indictment is not the first time U.S. authorities have 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 United States and sentenced to 38 years after prosecutors said he accepted bribes from the Sinaloa cartel; he has denied the allegations and is appealing.
As the case moves forward, Mexican authorities must decide how to respond to extradition requests and whether to pursue parallel domestic investigations. U.S. officials and Mexican authorities will face legal and diplomatic choices in the weeks ahead as both countries navigate the charges and their broader implications for corruption, cartel influence and cross-border law enforcement.