Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Resumes Duties Amid U.S. Indictment

The governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, has resumed his duties following allegations of drug‑trafficking brought by the United States.

On Friday, Rocha announced via social media that he had returned to office after taking a leave of absence on May 1.

In a statement, he asserted his innocence, saying he was responding to U.S. charges that he protected a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for political favors.

“Today, I return to my responsibilities as governor of Sinaloa with a clear conscience and my head held high, with the power of the truth on our side,” Rocha said.

“Let there be no doubt: Now and always, I will defend — relentlessly and without compromise — my honour and that of my family.”

Rocha is among several Mexican officials facing criminal charges and other punitive actions under the second Trump administration.

Since taking office in 2025, President Donald Trump has intensified efforts to combat crime throughout the Western Hemisphere, designating groups such as the Sinaloa Cartel as foreign terrorist organizations.

Trump has also threatened military intervention in Mexico, accusing cartels of causing widespread bloodshed and portraying the Mexican government as infiltrated by criminal elements.

On April 29, the Trump administration unsealed an indictment charging ten Mexican officials and businessmen, including a Sinaloa‑state senator, the state public‑security secretary, the mayor of Culiacán and senior police leaders. Rocha was listed among those indicted.

Previously a senator, Rocha is a leading figure in the left‑wing Morena party, which has become Mexico’s dominant political force. His ties to party founder former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador date back decades.

The indictment alleges that Rocha secured his 2021 gubernatorial victory by colluding with Los Chapitos, a Sinaloa Cartel faction led by the children of imprisoned kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, which allegedly stole votes and kidnapped political opponents.

In exchange, U.S. prosecutors say Rocha permitted Los Chapitos to “install other corrupt officials in positions of power” within Sinaloa.

Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president and another Morena leader, has demanded that the U.S. government present concrete evidence in the case.

“No Mexican citizen — regardless of political affiliation, party membership, or official status — should be denied a fair trial. If accused, there must be evidence to support the allegation,” Sheinbaum said in May.

She also urged the Mexican government to handle the matter, asking the prosecutor’s office to receive any proof against the governor on leave so it can conduct its investigation.

Rocha framed his brief leave of office as a way to cooperate with the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (FGR), which is reviewing the validity of the U.S. indictment.

In a recent social‑media post, Rocha claimed he had been cleared by the ongoing proceedings.

“After 112 days of investigation, the Attorney General’s Office announced at a press conference that there is no evidence supporting any allegation of my involvement in criminal conduct,” Rocha wrote. “In other words, I have committed no crime under our country’s constitutional and legal framework.”

He also praised President Sheinbaum for defending Mexico’s sovereignty against “the machinations of foreign interests and the treachery of the far‑right opposition.”

However, a later statement from Mexico’s Secretariat of the Interior contradicted some of Rocha’s assertions.

The secretariat clarified that the Attorney General’s Office “maintains open investigations related to the 10 individuals named by the United States Department of Justice, including the governor of Sinaloa.”

It added that Rocha’s return to office was a “personal decision.”

Nevertheless, the statement reiterated the Sheinbaum administration’s call for the U.S. to disclose the evidence against Rocha.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly requested that the United States Department of Justice provide the corresponding evidence to support the allegations made,” the secretariat said.

The Secretariat of the Interior reaffirms its respect for the powers of the responsible institutions and for due process in the development of the investigation.

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