Sinaloa Governor Returns to Work After US Allegations

Ruben Rocha Moya, the governor of Mexico's Sinaloa state, has officially returned to his post after a temporary leave triggered by US allegations that he shielded a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. In a social media post on Friday, Rocha stated he was resuming his leadership role after requesting a leave of absence starting May 1.

Rocha rejected all accusations, declaring he returns 'with a clear conscience and head held high,' and vowed to vigorously defend his and his family's honor. He is among several Mexican officials indicted by the administration of President Donald Trump in a crackdown on cross-border crime.

On April 29, the US Department of Justice announced an indictment against 10 Mexican officials and businesspeople, including a Sinaloa senator, the state's public security secretary, the mayor of Culiacan, and several senior police commanders. Rocha was among those charged.

According to the indictment, Rocha allegedly won the 2021 gubernatorial election by cooperating with the Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa cartel led by the sons of drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. Court documents allege the group stole votes from his opponents and kidnapped members of rival factions, in exchange for Rocha allowing them to 'place other corrupt officials in positions of power' in the state.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, from the same Morena party as Rocha, has called on the US to provide concrete evidence. She stressed that no Mexican citizen is denied a fair trial and demanded: 'If there are accusations, there must be evidence to prove them.'

Rocha said his leave was intended to allow Mexico's Attorney General's Office (FGR) to investigate the validity of the indictment. In his Friday post, he cited the FGR as saying 'not a single piece of evidence' had been found against him after 112 days of investigation, and praised President Sheinbaum for defending national sovereignty against 'schemes of foreign forces.'

However, Mexico's Interior Ministry later pushed back against parts of Rocha's statement, confirming that the FGR 'still maintains open investigations related to the 10 individuals named by the US Department of Justice, including the governor of Sinaloa.' Rocha's return was a 'personal decision,' the ministry said, but stressed it had repeatedly requested corresponding evidence from the US and respected the authority of relevant agencies during the process.