Pressure is mounting on Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum after two high-ranking former officials of Sinaloa state, both from her Morena party, voluntarily surrendered to US authorities on charges of having links to the Sinaloa cartel.
Former Sinaloa state Security Minister Gerardo Mérida Sánchez crossed into Arizona last week and was arrested by US federal police, according to a statement from Mexico's Security Ministry. Former Sinaloa state Finance Minister Enrique Díaz Vega was also arrested in New York.
Both Mérida and Díaz were indicted last month as part of a broader indictment targeting 10 Sinaloa officials, including Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, on accusations of assisting the Sinaloa cartel in illegally bringing large quantities of drugs into the United States. Governor Rocha Moya has called the charges "completely false and baseless."
Sheinbaum has refused to extradite the former governor, repeatedly asking the US to provide more evidence. Speaking on Monday, she maintained her stance on national sovereignty and denied any link between her government and organized crime. "We will not cover for anyone under any circumstances," she said. "But why is the US so interested in Mexico? They should solve their own problems first, including drug consumption and the flow of weapons."
However, with two high-ranking officials now in US custody, Sheinbaum's defense of her party and Governor Moya is becoming increasingly difficult. Arturo Sarukhán, former Mexican ambassador to the US, noted: "There's a growing perception in Washington that she is stalling, but reality will overtake her. The chances that others among the 10 indicted will negotiate with US law enforcement are growing, and then you cannot control who the information is shared with – that could be a ticking time bomb for Morena."
The fact that the two former officials voluntarily surrendered rather than waiting for extradition also bolsters the weight of the original indictment by the US Department of Justice, according to analysts. Eduardo Guerrero, a Mexican security expert, remarked: "If the charges were baseless, no one would turn themselves in." He also said the detention of both former officials will help Washington build a case against the Sinaloa governor: "Both know a lot about Rocha Moya; they will provide plenty of evidence."
Sheinbaum may face additional charges against officials from her party in the coming period. Last week, Terry Cole, acting director of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), testified before the US Senate and said the indictment against Rocha Moya "is just the beginning." On Friday, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration instructed federal prosecutors to use anti-terrorism laws to prosecute corrupt Mexican officials.
For months, Sheinbaum has placated Washington by meeting President Trump's demands, sending thousands of troops to the border to control immigration and handing over nearly 100 cartel members to face justice in the US. But relations have frayed in recent weeks following revelations that CIA agents operated in Mexico without federal government authorization, including reports that the US agency was involved in the assassination of a mid-level cartel member in March.
The growing pressure from Washington, targeting current officials including those from the ruling Morena party, has pushed Sheinbaum and her relationship with the US to the limit. "We are on the brink of the abyss, like dominoes falling one after another," Sarukhán said.
