US charges Sinaloa governor and other Mexican officials with drug trafficking offences

The US justice department has charged the governor of Sinaloa and nine other current and former officials for alleged ties to the Sinaloa cartel, accusing them of aiding in the massive importation of illicit narcotics into the United States . Some officials were members of Mexico’s progressive ruling party, Morena, posing a political conundrum for Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum as she seeks to offset mounting pressures from the Trump administration. The 10 people charged in Manhattan federal court are current and former government or law enforcement officials in Sinaloa, including Rubén Rocha Moya, 76, who has been the governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state since November 2021. The indictment alleges the governor was elected in 2021 with the help of the Sinaloa cartel, which allegedly kidnapped and intimidated political rivals in exchange for protection of their operations once in power. Charges against Moya included 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. Responding to the indictment, Rocha Moya wrote on X that he “categorically and unequivocally reject[s]” the charges, which were “completely untrue and without any basis”. Governor of Sinaloa, Ruben Rocha Moya on 17 April, 2026, in Mexico City, Mexico. …