By Reuters and The Associated Press
Published on August 24, 2026
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has condemned the brief return of the governor of Sinaloa to his office, calling the move “reckless” and “not appropriate” while he faces a domestic investigation stemming from U.S. drug-trafficking allegations.
Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, 77, of the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa, has requested another temporary, indefinite leave of absence from his post, just days after defiantly reclaiming office for a single day.
However, his brief return has triggered a backlash from his own political party, Morena, which shares leadership with President Sheinbaum.
Morena’s national leadership asserted that they had no prior knowledge of Rocha’s return, characterizing it as a “personal decision.” Meanwhile, the Senate bloc has called for restraint and respect as the investigation unfolds, and Morena governors issued a joint statement declaring that “personal or group political projects have no place” when national interests are at stake.
These developments follow Rocha’s 112-day absence from office, prompted by a U.S. drug-trafficking indictment unveiled in April. Rocha stands as the first sitting Mexican governor to face such charges in the United States.
Rocha has vigorously denied the charges, labeling them a politically motivated attack. After stepping down for three months, he announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday that he was resuming his duties with a “clear conscience” and his “head held high.”
That defiance was short-lived, as he subsequently requested another leave of absence.
“I had no prior knowledge that he wanted to return,” President Sheinbaum stated during her daily morning press conference on Monday.
“I don’t know what led the governor—who is once again on leave—to return. I haven’t spoken to him, nor do I intend to,” she added.
On Saturday, in an apparent rebuke that did not mention Rocha by name, Sheinbaum wrote on social media: “No personal interest can ever come before the interests of the people and the nation. Mexico deserves public servants who understand that positions are temporary, but responsibility to the nation is eternal.”
The Sinaloa state congress is expected to appoint an interim governor in the coming days.
US indictments of Mexican officials ignite diplomatic tensions
Since returning to office for a second term in 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has prioritized cracking down on crime across the Western Hemisphere, including designating powerful cartels like the Sinaloa Cartel as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
Trump has also threatened military action within Mexico, accusing the country’s cartels of orchestrating much of the region’s bloodshed and chaos, and depicting the Mexican government as overrun by criminal elements.
U.S. federal prosecutors first charged Rocha on April 29 with bribery, shielding, and conspiring with a faction of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel. The charges allege that he facilitated the smuggling of drugs—including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine—into the United States in exchange for assistance with his political career.
This “bombshell” indictment also targeted nine other Mexican officials and businessmen, including a senator representing Sinaloa, the state’s public security secretary, the mayor of Culiacán, and several high-ranking police officials.
These accusations have fueled diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and Mexican governments. President Sheinbaum has denied protecting Rocha but rejected Washington’s request to arrest and extradite the defendants without credible evidence, insisting that any prosecution must take place within Mexico.
Prosecutors allege that the corrupt inducements date back to Rocha’s 2021 election campaign, during which members of the cartel’s “Chapitos” faction allegedly helped secure his victory. According to the indictment, cartel operatives kidnapped and threatened opposition candidates and stole ballot papers cast for his rivals to ensure his win.
Rocha had previously run for governor of Sinaloa twice before his successful 2021 bid.
A staunch ally of President Sheinbaum’s mentor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Rocha has denied any wrongdoing, describing the charges as politically motivated. Although he previously stepped aside to cooperate with the Mexican investigation without relying on constitutional immunity, legal scholars remain divided on whether his initial leave stripped him of legal protections, and whether his current indefinite leave would yield the same result.
Following the indictment, the mayor of Culiacán, Sinaloa’s capital, and the state’s deputy attorney general resigned, while two former senior state officials turned themselves in to U.S. authorities.
Sinaloa has endured two years of intense, violent infighting between rival factions within its local drug cartel.
