U.S. Unseals Indictment Against Sitting Sinaloa Governor Rocha Moya for Cartel Ties

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York unsealed a five-count indictment against Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and nine other current or former state officials, alleging Rocha Moya met with the Sinaloa Cartel's 'Los Chapitos' faction before his 2021 election and agreed to install cartel-friendly officials in exchange for political support and bribes. Rocha Moya, a Morena governor first elected in 2021 during AMLO's presidency, became the highest-ranking Mexican official ever indicted by the U.S. government. He requested a leave of absence two days later; local lawmakers appointed Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde as interim governor. The case deepened scrutiny of cartel-accommodation allegations tied to AMLO's 'abrazos no balazos' security legacy, coming one day after Morena senator Enrique Inzunza Cázarez was indicted on related charges.