U.S. Indicts Sinaloa Governor, Alleging Pact With ‘Los Chapitos’

Overview

• U.S. prosecutors in New York unsealed charges Wednesday accusing Governor Rubén Rocha Moya of conspiring with the Sinaloa Cartel to move large quantities of drugs into the United States.
• Prosecutors also named several current and former Sinaloa officials, including Morena senator Enrique Inzunza, Culiacán mayor Juan de Dios Gámez, state vice prosecutor Dámaso Castro, and state finance secretary Enrique Díaz Vega.
• The indictment alleges the cartel faction led by El Chapo’s sons, known as Los Chapitos, helped Rocha win the 2021 election in exchange for promised protection while they shipped narcotics north.
• President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that Mexican prosecutors will proceed only if the United States provides clear proof and she warned that unsupported claims look political.
• The case deepens U.S.–Mexico strain as President Trump presses for tougher action on cartels and U.S. officials vow to pursue corruption linked to organized crime wherever American law allows.