Mexico's President Rebukes Governor for Briefly Returning to Work Amid US Drug Charges

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on August 19 that a governor returning to his post while under domestic investigation after US drug trafficking charges was a “reckless” and “inappropriate” move.

Ruben Rocha Moya, the 77-year-old governor of Sinaloa state, requested another indefinite leave of absence just days after declaring he was back at work. Rocha now faces pushback from his own ruling Morena party, of which President Sheinbaum is a member.

Morena stated that its national leadership had no prior knowledge of Rocha's return, calling it his “personal decision.” The party's Senate bloc urged restraint and respect for the investigative process. Governors affiliated with Morena issued a joint statement saying there is “no room for personal or group political projects” when national interests are at stake.

Earlier, Rocha had been absent for 112 days after being indicted by the US on drug trafficking charges in April. He is the first sitting Mexican governor charged by Washington on such counts. He denies the allegations, calling them politically motivated. He stepped aside for three months before announcing on social media platform X that he had retaken control with a “clear conscience” and “head held high.” However, that stint did not last long as he subsequently requested leave again.

Speaking at a morning press conference on August 19, President Sheinbaum said she had not been informed of Rocha's intention to return. “I don't know what led the governor—who is again on leave—to return. I have not spoken to him, and I have no intention to do so,” she said.

On August 17, in a message that appeared to criticize Rocha without naming him, President Sheinbaum wrote: “No personal interest can be placed above the interests of the people and the country. Mexico deserves public servants who understand that positions are temporary, but responsibility to the nation is eternal.”

Sinaloa's state congress is expected to appoint an interim governor this week.

US federal prosecutors formally indicted Rocha on April 29 on charges of bribery, harboring, and conspiring with a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for facilitating drug trafficking—including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine—into the US to support his political career. The indictment also targeted nine other Mexican officials and businesspeople, including a senator representing Sinaloa, a state public security secretary, the mayor of Culiacan, and several senior police leaders.

The charges have heightened tensions between the US and Mexican governments. President Sheinbaum has rejected defending Rocha but has refused Washington's demands to arrest and extradite those charged without reliable evidence, emphasizing that any prosecution should take place in Mexico.

According to the indictment, the alleged benefits were tied to Rocha's 2021 election campaign, when members of the cartel's “Chapitos” faction purportedly helped him win. Cartel operatives were accused of kidnapping, threatening opposition candidates, and stealing votes to help Rocha prevail. Rocha had run twice for governor of Sinaloa before succeeding in 2021.

A close ally of former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador—Sheinbaum's political mentor—Rocha denies any wrongdoing and describes the charges as politically motivated. He previously stepped aside to cooperate with the investigation without relying on constitutional immunity attached to his office. However, Mexican legal scholars remain divided over whether his earlier leave truly stripped him of legal protections, and whether the current indefinite leave produces a similar effect.

Following the indictment, Culiacan's mayor—Sinaloa's state capital—and the deputy state attorney general resigned, while two former senior state officials surrendered to US authorities. Sinaloa has endured two years of violent clashes between rival factions of the local drug cartel.