Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya Steps Down Amid U.S. Cartel Conspiracy Charges

The governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, has once again left office following renewed allegations from U.S. prosecutors that he conspired with the Sinaloa cartel. His departure comes one day after he resumed his post, only to face intense backlash—including criticism from within his own party, the ruling Morena movement.

In a statement posted to social media on Saturday night, Rocha requested an indefinite leave of absence, roughly 36 hours after reassuming office. He had previously stepped down in April when U.S. authorities unsealed an indictment accusing him and nine other current and former Mexican officials—including a sitting senator—of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to facilitate drug trafficking across the U.S. border in exchange for bribes and political support.

The indictment sparked a major scandal in Mexico and intensified tensions between the two nations. While Rocha has consistently denied any wrongdoing, labeling the charges as politically motivated, his abrupt return to office drew swift condemnation—even from high-ranking figures within Morena.

Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, indirectly criticized Rocha’s decision, emphasizing that public office demands loyalty to the nation above personal ambition. “Mexico deserves public servants who understand that positions are temporary,” she wrote, “but responsibility to the nation is eternal.” Though she did not name Rocha directly, her message resonated as a rebuke to his comeback.

Other Morena leaders were more explicit. Party governors and senators released statements distancing the party from Rocha’s actions and reaffirming their commitment to upholding judicial integrity. Notably, longtime ally Ricardo Monreal urged Rocha to retract his return to office.

U.S. prosecutors allege that Rocha accepted payments and campaign assistance from the Sinaloa cartel in exchange for shielding its operations—a group long accused of unleashing violence and instability throughout Sinaloa and beyond. Despite repeated calls from Washington for his extradition, Mexican officials maintain that sufficient evidence has not been presented to justify such a move.

At 77 years old, Rocha represents one of the most prominent figures within Morena to be targeted by U.S. law enforcement. His prosecution underscores the Trump administration’s intensified campaign against transnational organized crime and governmental complicity in Latin America.

Having first stepped aside to allow investigators to proceed without the protections granted by executive immunity, Rocha’s brief reemergence reportedly reinstated those legal safeguards. With his latest exit, however, those privileges appear to have been stripped once again.

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