On April 29, 2026, federal prosecutors in New York unsealed charges against ten current and former Mexican officials, including Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, aged 76. This is the first time the United States has indicted a sitting Mexican governor. The indictment alleges that Rocha Moya and his co-defendants ran a protection operation for the Chapitos, the Sinaloa Cartel faction led by the sons of Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison.
According to prosecutors, the defendants accepted millions of dollars in bribes to allow drug shipments into the United States. The charges also include a sitting federal senator, Enrique Inzunza Cazárez, and a sitting mayor, Juan de Dios Gámez Mendívil, who runs Culiacán.
The indictment claims that during his 2021 campaign, the Chapitos kidnapped and intimidated Rocha Moya's rivals, stole ballots, and helped him win the election. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 40 years in prison.
However, all ten defendants remain in Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected U.S. extradition demands, calling the accusations politically motivated and demanding clear evidence. She stated that Mexico will not permit a foreign government to decide Mexico's future. Rocha Moya denies the charges, claiming the indictment targets the ruling Morena party and the Mexican people.