According to an unsealed indictment, federal prosecutors in New York City charged several current and former Mexican government officials, including the governor of Sinaloa, with drug trafficking and weapons offenses.
U.S. officials accused the Mexican officials with conspiring with the Sinaloa Cartel to import large amounts of illicit narcotics into the U.S. in exchange for bribes and political support.
According to NBC News, prosecutors in Manhattan indicted the current governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, along with 9 other high-ranking government and law enforcement officials, alleging that their partnership with the cartel also allowed members to execute "brutal drug-related violence" with impunity.
“In exchange, the defendants have collectively received millions of dollars in drug money from the Cartel,” prosecutors affirmed.
“The Sinaloa Cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a news release. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa Cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
U.S. government officials accuse the defendants of working closely with a faction of the Sinaloa cartel known as the “Chapitos.” The group is reportedly led by the sons of former leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Governor Rocha Moya called the effort “a perverse strategy to violate the constitutional order, specifically on national sovereignty,” in a statement published on X. "We will show them that this slander doesn't have any sort of foundation,” Moya added.
CBS News reported that counts against Moya include narcotics importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and another conspiracy charge.
If convicted, Moya could be sentenced to serve a minimum of 40 years to life in prison.
Moya is a member of Mexico’s progressive Morena party, which Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum belongs to.
