US Charges Sinaloa Governor and Nine Others Over Alleged Drug Cartel Ties

US Charges Mexican Governor and Nine Officials with Links to Sinaloa Cartel

A US indictment has been unsealed against Mexico’s Sinaloa state Governor Ruben Rocha Moya and nine current and former officials, alleging they worked with cartel leaders to facilitate large quantities of narcotics into the US. The charges, brought by prosecutors in New York, claim that Rocha Moya and others received political support and bribes from the cartel in exchange for their cooperation.

According to the indictment, cartel operatives allegedly interfered with opposition candidates during Rocha Moya’s 2021 election campaign, including kidnapping and threatening opponents, as well as stealing ballot papers. The scheme was reportedly aided by Enrique Diaz Vega, who later became Rocha Moya’s secretary of administration and finance.

The US Justice Department stated that most of the suspects were affiliated with the sons of Sinaloa cartel cofounder Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is serving a life sentence in the US. The DEA administrator, Terrance Cole, described the Sinaloa Cartel as a designated terrorist organization relying on corruption and bribery to drive violence and profit.

Rocha Moya has denied the charges, calling them baseless and without evidence. He stated that the accusations are part of a broader political attack against him and the governing Morena movement.

The Mexican government has expressed concerns about the lack of sufficient evidence in the US documents requesting arrests and potential extraditions. The case is rare for indicting sitting senior Mexican politicians, and it may signal a shift in Washington’s approach to tackling drug cartels.

Experts note that this case could lead to increased attention on alleged links between organized crime and political figures. Vanda Felbab-Brown, an expert at the Brookings Institution, stated that this is a significant development, potentially leading to more indictments against those involved in the alleged crime-politics nexus in Sinaloa.

Source: Al Jazeera